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THE 

PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

HOW, WHERE, AND WHEN TO CATCH FISH. 

KIT. CLARKE, 

AUTHOR OF " WHERE THE TROUT HIDE," ETC. 



Giving a Description of American Game Fish Caught 
WITH Hook and Line, Methods of Capture, their 
Habits and Haunts, and all requisite Inform- 
ation whereby the Novice can acquire the 
Art, and enjoy the Delightful Recre- 
ation of Going A-Fishing. 



f,V OF COa/^ 

HAf' ?^n 189?/ 
/OHO )^^ 

NEW YORK: l 

THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY. 

1892. 






COPYRIGHT, 1892, BY 
KIT. CLARKE^ 



PREFACE. 



This book is written for the benefit of the 
man whose angling education, to his great 
misfortune, has been neglected, and who de- 
sires to acquire a knowledge of the most de- 
lightful, health-bringing and harmless recre- 
ation in existence. 

The " old-timer " who knows it all will 
meet only plainly told, familiar facts. 

Technical phrases and rhetorical pyrotech- 
nics are studiously avoided, as they are of no 
use in the practical pursuit of catching fish. 

The book means business — that's all. 

The Author. 

New York, March, 1892. 

(5) 



CONTENTS. 



PAGB 



The Bait, . 29 

The Brook Trout, ...... 63 

The Black Bass, 79 

The Blackfish, 182 

The Bluefish, 167 

The Bullhead, . . . . . .146 

The Channel Bass, 191 

The Cavalli, 193 

The Catfish, 146 

The Drum, 191 

The Grouper, 193 

The Kingfish, 179 

The Land-Locked Salmon, . . .110 

The Lake Trout, 123 

The Mascalonge 92 

The Perch, 142 

The Pike, 129 

The Pickerel, 139 

The Salmon, icw 

The Sea Bass, . . . . . . .181 

The Sheepshead, 172 

The Striped Bass, 148 

(6) 



CONTENTS. 7 



PAGE 



The Snapper 193 

The Salt-water Trout, . . . .192 

The Skipjack, 193 

The Tarpon, 188 

The Weakfish, 158 

The White Perch, . ... . .183 

The Wall-Eyed Pike, .... 135 

The Wininnish, no 

Going A-Fishing, 9 

Hints to Anglers, 195 

Fly Fishing 38 

Florida Fishing, 184 

Fishing Seasons, 206 

Weight of Fish 205 



THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 



GOING A-FISHING. 

The first and most important requisite in 
going a-fishing is to become imbued with that 
praiseworthy and potent virtue, perseverance, 
a well-balanced cargo of which will prove 
simply priceless. It is cheap, it is handy, and 
in no other pursuit will an energetic display 
of its sublime qualities give more satisfactory 
results. 

The next requisite is contentment, that mar- 
velously potent force which enables and en- 
courages a man to sit upon a very hard rock a 
dozen hours,with a single bite, a single fish, and 
a light heart. The man who can display this 
example of patience and content will not only 
catch fish, but thereby add healthy and happy 
years to the period of his existence in this 
world. 

Angling may fairly be divided into three 
methods, each radically different, and each re- 
quiring dissimilar utensils in its pursuit. 

The first, and usually most productive, is 
bait fishing, by which process palatable food 

(9) 



lO THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

is placed before the fish in the water, near the 
bottom. 

The second is by trolling or trailing either 
natural or artificial food near the surface, or in 
mid-water ; and the third is by tossing food or 
artificial bait upon the surface of the water, 
and in which various daintily made and col- 
ored decoys of feather and hair, called ** flies," 
are principally employed. 

THE BAIT. 

But, although the gentle art is thus exer- 
cised, all its methods are employed toward a 
common end : the presentation of food, or its 
counterfeit, in a manner to inveigle the finny 
warriors from their element. Therefore, a 
most important requisite in catching fish lies 
in the possession and proper use of appropri- 
ate bait. 

One may be favored with the finest and 
costliest tackle, the most suitable season and 
felicitous weather, yet meet with but poor 
success unless he shall have fitting bait. 

In any fishing where the lure is sunk be- 
neath the surface of the water the bait must 
be fresh. Nothing that lives has a more acute 
sense of smell than fish, and the meanest of 
the tribe will refuse a tainted bait. 

I have seen fish that were totally blind 



THE EFFECT OF A BITE. II 

madly rush at pieces of meat thrown into the 
water, and win their full share of a meal in a 
wild struggle against their more fortunate, 
keen-sighted relatives, while nothing but their 
powerful sense of smell guided them aright. 

It must be remembered that quite as much 
diversion is afforded in bait fishing as can be 
derived from casting the fly. The latter is the 
most artistic, as well as the cleanest, while the 
enjoyment of the sport is enhanced and of 
longer duration, because very light tackle is 
used. When, however, the bait rod is of light 
weight, the pleasure derived from its employ- 
ment equals any other method of angling. 

The fish, after being hooked, is equally anx- 
ious to sever its intimacy with the incum- 
brance, and fights with unbiased desperation 
to escape. 

It does not stop to cogitate on the sinful- 
ness of man or the quality of lure, be it fly or 
worm, that has brought such a weighty afifUc- 
tion upon its welfare, but wants to get rid of 
it on any terms, and gives open battle until 
the end — either liberty or the frying-pan. 

In bait fishing the angler will find the thrill 
of a sharp bite drive through his nervous sys- 
tem like an electric shock, an exact counter- 
part of the sensation derived from a pro- 
nounced '' rise "; but the shock follows the 



12 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

unseen bite in the first instance, while the 
" rise " is clearly seen before any " howling 
joy " is felt. 

The subsequent proceedings in both cases 
are the same, save that in bait fishing the 
struggle is likely to be of shorter duration. 
This is because the baited hook may be par- 
tially swallowed and fastened in the gills, the 
breathing apparatus, causing the fish to suc- 
cumb more speedily, while the fly always be- 
comes fixed in the inert flesh of the mouth, 
leaving the physical system uninjured, and 
prolonging the fish's ability to give battle. 

A fish suffers no physical pain from being 
hooked in the mouth, its nervous organization 
being almost nily and, as the nerves are the seat 
of all pain, it follows that no torture is inflicted 
in the capture. 

There is one bait which every game fish will 
seize, if in the least hungry, and that is the 
meek and lowly angle-worm, native to a veg- 
etable soil throughout the country. 

In the wonderful economy of nature the 
worm plays its part, yet it is very doubtful if 
it can perform any more important service to 
mankind than to become a lure for the finny 
fighters of our waters. 

From the moment the brook trout is cast 
upon its own resources it learns the value of 



THE BAIT FOR A BIG FISH. 1 3 

the worm as a menu, for every heavy rain 
brings vast numbers from the soil and sweeps 
them into the brooks, where they soon disap- 
pear into the maws of the hungry little trout. 
Thus fish from infancy become acquainted 
with the toothsorne worm, and when one is 
placed in the water in a natural manner it 
rarely misses being seized. 

Any kind of fresh meat makes good bait, 
such as beef, veal, mutton, pork, or fish, which 
should be cut into slices not too large for the 
fish to seize, and impaled upon the hook in a 
manner to conceal that pointed implement as 
much as possible. It is not essential that the 
point of the hook be covered; indeed, it is ad- 
visable to leave the point uncovered, as it will 
better penetrate the mouth of the fish in the 
event of a bite. 

If a line dangling through the water and 
holding the hook and a glistening sinker does 
not prevent fish from biting, the exposed point 
of a hook will not do so. 

The larger fish, however, are more gener- 
ally attracted by live bait, such as minnows 
of all kinds, frogs, grasshoppers, shrimp, small 
eels, and mice. These should be placed upon 
the hook carefully, in order that they may live 
as long as possible, but often they prove quite as 
killing when dead, providing they are fresh. 



14 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

If live bait cannot be procured, artificial 
baits can be had made of rubber, and colored 
to imitate perfectly either minnows, frogs, 
crickets, worms, grasshoppers, or indeed any 
insect. These are rather rigid, and not by 
any means as good as " the original Jacobs "; 
but still they are an excellent substitute in 
an emergency, and have often caused seri- 
ous trouble for sundry and various bass and 
pickerel. 

The different baits, with methods of pro- 
curing them, will be found fully described in 
the chapter especially devoted to the subject. 

THE ROD. 

Tackle is a secondary consideration if the 
mere purpose of catching fish is entertained, 
for a hickory rod and a pin hook will some- 
times gain this mercenary end ; but tackle is 
of the utmost importance if one seeks the rec- 
reation for its greatest pleasure and excite- 
ment. 

The legendary farmer's lad and his grew- 
some bean-pole had been held up for the ad- 
miration of mankind during many years. He 
practiced successfully with his hand derrick 
until the city chap with fine tackle, and the 
knowledge how to use it, appeared at the 
brookside, and then the farmer's lad promptly 



THE PROPER TOOLS. 1 5 

retired to the seclusion of the barn-yard, and 
has never since been heard from. 

It is well for the novice to begin with a low- 
priced equipment ; but this does not neces- 
sarily mean poor tackle of the two-dollar- 
dry-goods-store-split-bamboo-rod iniquity — the 
most imposing example of deceptive trickery 
extant. 

A reliable and serviceable outfit can be pur- 
chased at any of the regular tackle stores, at a 
moderate expense, that will serve all purposes 
until the learner has advanced to a more pro- 
ficient stage, when he will naturally begin to 
seek the costlier and daintiest tools. Experi- 
ence will soon direct him into the channel 
wherein the larger enjoyment lies. 

It is prudent, indeed essential, to purchase 
only from established dealers in fishing tackle, 
in which event the buyer may rely upon re- 
ceiving honest treatment, for the regular 
dealer knows just what he is selling, and has 
a reputation to maintain upon which his pros- 
perity depends. If the notion, hardware, and 
dry-goods houses are patronized, the chances 
are that inferior, if not useless, trash will be se- 
cured ; for these energetic merchants, having 
absolutely no personal knowledge of fishing 
tackle, sell merely for profit, and '' everything 
goes.'* Shun the dry-goods store leader and 



l6 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

the poor, gaily decorated bamboo rod, for any 
wooden rod will prove a better investment, 
and will serve until the split-bamboo stage is 
gained by experience ; then buy the very best 
your means will compass. A rod with the 
butt, or first joint (under the hand), of ash, 
middle joint and tip of lancewood, is about as 
good as any made of ordinary wood. It is 
strong, light, pliable, and serviceable, and will 
cost from $5 to $10, according to its quality 
and finish. 

Bear in mind that in fishing with bait a rod 
from 8 to 9 feet in length, weighing not over 
8 ounces, and a little stiff, will be about the 
proper thing, while in fly fishing 9 feet in 
length and from 6 to 7 ounces in weight, limber 
or pliant, will do the work required. An ounce 
in added weight appears but a trifle to the 
imagination, but when the muscles of the arm 
are kept at a high tension for hours in fly cast- 
ing, that added ounce seems very much heavier. 

A good lancewood rod is not only elastic, 
but exceedingly tough, and will undergo an 
immense amount of hard work, bending, re- 
trieving, and pulling until the author of its 
labor is exhausted ; but it cannot be doubled 
at a right angle without breaking. Indeed, it 
will rarely be broken except through being 
handled recklessly and carelessly. 



THE BEST ALL-AROUND ROD. 1 7 

It will be noted that various sizes and 
weights of rods are given in this book for use 
in seeking different fish, and hence the idea 
may prevail that it is essential for a person to 
store up an endless array of these useful ap- 
pendages, or else forego the sport. No greater 
error could possibly be made. I have given 
weights and sizes of rods that will afford the 
most satisfaction in battling with the finny 
fighters, such as will best meet the diversified 
action of the several species of game fish de- 
scribed. 

This is scarcely necessary in regard to lines, 
as it is always best to make use of the small- 
est line possible ; but it may be added that if 
a person is seeking a rod for general use — one 
that will serve in bait fishing for trout, black 
bass,weakfish, and all others of medium size — 
one of split bamboo, about 9 feet in length 
and weighing between 7^ and 8^ ounces, 
will come very near being the best attainable. 

It should not be too stiff ; indeed, I never 
advocate the use of a rigid rod for any pur- 
poses except trolling and bait casting, and 
neither should it be too flexible, such as is re- 
quired in fly fishing. A happy intermediate 
condition should be attained— just bend 
enough to give with the pull of a fish, just stiff 
enough to hold up when a " strike " is made. 



l8 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

THE REEL. 

The object of the reel is to '' play " a fish, to 
bring it to net, and to reel the line for casting. 
There are two kinds of reels, the single-action 
click and the multiplier. The former should 
have a narrow spool, obviating the necessity of 
guiding the line, for with each revolution it 
takes up the line slowly and gradually, while 
the drag of the click lets it out sufficiently to 
meet the balkiest trout's exertions. 

It is, therefore, the best reel to use in fly 
fishing, while for bait fishing a multiplying 
reel will serve best. It is requisite in bait 
fi?^'iing, especially in " minnow, casting," "skit- 
tering," and other methods elsewhere de- 
scribed, to cast to a distance, and for this pur- 
pose a reel must give line freely. 

One revolution of the handle, by a system 
of cog-wheels, causes the spool holding the 
line to revolve four times, a single evolution 
of the handle of a quadruple multiplying reel 
taking up a foot of line. It will thus be seen 
that if a large fish takes the bait his outward 
rush can be met by giving line freely, and the 
return can also be promptly met, and slack 
line avoided, by taking up line upon the reel 
with equal promptitude. 

The one great danger resulting from the use 
of the multiplier is an overrunning line ; that 



MULTI-ACTION REELS. I9 

is, the reel will revolve with such velocity as 
to keep running after the strain has ceased, 
and thus entangle the line upon the reel. 

This can be avoided by keeping the thumb 
against the spool, which is made wide, and 
pressing upon it the instant a slack appears. 
For this reason, the reel is on the rod above 
the hand when bait fishing. 

All good reels are supplied with a click and 
a drag, either or both of which can be brought 
into instant use when desired, and both bear 
upon the spool, causing it to revolve with 
some difficulty, and hence bringing a strain to 
bear upon the struggling fish. 

A serviceable reel cannot be bought for less 
than $5 and up to $50, while the material of 
its composition, such as rubber, aluminum, 
brass, nickel, silver, etc., is quite a matter of 
individual fancy. 

It may be added that an ordinary click reel 
cannot well be used in bait casting, but the 
multiplying reel can be used in all kinds of 
fishing when one becomes acquainted with its 
workings. 

For many years I have made constant use 
of the multiplying reel in all kinds of angling, 
and, although I have experimented with pretty 
much every description of reel made in this 
country, as well as the clumsy " winches " 



20 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

used in England, I have never yet been able 
to find one that afforded me the satisfaction 
derived from the multipHer. 

A superior tool of this description is costly 
at first, but cheap in the end, as it will serve a 
lifetime and can scarcely get out of good 
working order under fair treatment. 

I have seen reels in the New York tackle 
stores as handsome in appearance and as per- 
fect in action as the heart of the most accom- 
plished expert could desire, and doubtless 
they would afford the greatest satisfaction in 
use. I have had a great many reels sent to 
me for examination and trial, of which I must 
say the majority were superlatively good in 
every feature ; but somehow, after trial, they 
were carefully laid aside, and the old multi- 
plier was again enthroned. 

THE LINE. 

There is no choice in lines, there being but 
one perfect fishing line made — that of braided 
silk, covered with an exceedingly even and 
smooth enamel composition, and sold for about 
seven cents per yard. Nothing more perfect 
has ever been invented to meet a demand 
than this line, for it is strong, durable, pliable, 
will not kink, slides through the guides easily, 
and can be had in any size and length. 



PERFECT FISHING LINES. 21 

Twenty-five to thirty yards, however, will 
be quite long enough for ordinary purposes. 
Be careful, in selecting a silk line, to choose 
the hard-enameled, smooth-coated American- 
made examples, as many of inferior quality 
are imported, and can readily be distinguished 
by their stiffness, stickiness, cheapness, and 
" badness." 

Formerly the best lines were made of 
twisted hair, to which silk threads were 
added, increasing their strength. Then the 
cotton and linen lines, either twisted or 
braided, came into use ; but, except for spe- 
cial purposes, these have been superseded by 
the American enameled and waterproofed silk 
line. 

Europe may surpass us in one or two little 
things, but it cannot begin to equal us in the 
manufacture of fishing lines. 

The " Cuttyhunk " lines, used principally in 
salt-water angling, are twisted, and made of 
foreign flax, in thickness ranging from nine to 
twenty-one threads, and sometimes i,ooo feet 
in length. 

The enameled braided-silk lines are made 
only by complicated machinery, and, like 
American watches, also made entirely by 
machinery, are absolutely perfect in construc- 
tion. 



22 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

Cotton and grass lines are little used now- 
adays in angling. 

THE LEADER. 

The gut forming the leader, as well as the 
snell to which hooks are attached, is made in 
Spain from a secretion found in the silk-worm, 
and reaches this country in bundles or hanks 
of twelve dozen pieces, from twelve to sixteen 
inches long. Each strand has been secured 
at the sacrifice of one of the insects, which, 
had it been permitted to live, would have ex- 
hausted the secretion in spinning a cocoon of 
silk. 

It is fine, round, strong, and as near invisi- 
ble as anything known and used for this pur- 
pose. The lengths of gut, as it is erroneously 
called, are dipped in vinegar and softened, and 
are then tied in suitable lengths to form lead- 
ers. These should always be tested before 
using by attaching a dead weight of at least 
one pound, and slowly lifting. Any leader 
that will bear this strain without breaking will 
perform its required service faithfully. 

The practice of using leaders nine feet long 
and even longer, except in salmon fishing, is a 
thing to be avoided ; indeed, it is advocated 
only by empirical anglers. Such a leader 
would make the landing of a large trout a 



LEADERS AND HOOKS. 23 

matter of great difficulty, if not utterly im- 
possible, as the knot by which leader and line 
are connected would catch at the ring on the 
tip of the rod, and so prevent the fish being 
brought near enough to net. 

It is a good plan to have your leaders meas- 
ure less than two-thirds the length of your 
rod, whatever its size may be. A twisted 
leader, or one made of double gut, should 
never be used under any circumstances, for 
one of single gut will hold any fish, and when 
a break occurs it is the rod that will suffer, 
and usually this result ensues from a too vig- 
orous " strike." 

In selecting gut leaders draw the fibre 
between the fingers, and, if any roughness is 
discovered, discard it at once. The gut should 
be perfectly round, clear, smooth, and sound, 
with a loop at each end, one for the line and 
the other for the tail fly or bait hook. 

THE HOOK. 

The hook known as the " Sproat," to my 
view, is the best fish hook made, because of 
its bend and shape, and because it is made 
upon scientific principles. The direction of its 
point is always toward the lever giving it 
force ; that is, the point is directed to the spot 
connecting it with the line, and gives it a cen- 



:24 T'HE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

tral draught. It has a straight bend, a short 
barb, is beautifully tempered, and when it 
strikes fish-meat it invariably gets there and 
stays there. 

The hooks with the points curved or turned 
aside, such as the "Kirby" and the square 
end ** Sneck," although good in their way, are 
inferior to the " Sproat," because the points 
turn away from the Hne which applies the 
force required to penetrate the flesh. 

Next to the '' Sproat " I prefer the " Lim- 
erick " hook, and then the " O'Shaughnessey." 
The latter, however, is made of heavier wire, 
and both have a longer point and a narrower 
bend, while neither has the curved or crooked 
point. 

FLOATS. 

In bait fishing from any fixed object floats 
are often used. These are made of basswood 
or cork in various shapes and colors, and at- 
tached to the line, allowing sufficient line 
beneath to keep the hook in mid-water or 
near bottom, as may be desired. The least 
nibble will at once be detected by the action 
of the float, while a pronounced bite will in- 
stantly carr>' it beneath the water. 

Care should be taken not to allow more line 
to dangle beneath the float than the length of 
the rod, else it cannot be wound upon the 



HANDY TOOLS. 2$ 

reel, the float preventing the line from pass- 
ing the ring at the tip of the rod. Any 
length of line can be payed out from the 
hand when a rod is not in use, and bait may 
be sent to a long distance by means of a float — 
a practice that sometimes proves quite effect- 
ive, especially on a clear day. 

OTHER UTENSILS. 

In seeking large fish a ''gaff" should always 
be within reach. This is a large steel hook, 
without barb, used in impaling a big fish after 
it has been played to exhaustion, and bringing 
it safely from the water. 

For smaller fish landing nets should be 
utilized. They are made in various sizes, and 
of cotton, linen, and silk, with numberless 
patent contrivances for folding and packing. 
The net should be attached to a handle from 
four to five feet in length, and should be from 
15 to 18 inches in width at the mouth, and 
from 18 to 22 inches in depth. 

A willow basket, held by a strap over the 
shoulder, in which to carry fish, should always 
be worn, which, with an excellent landing net, 
will be found fully described in the chapter on 
" Brook Trout." 

As has been said, weights, sizes, and dis- 



26 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

tinctive qualities of rods are given as will afford 
the greatest sport in a struggle with the va- 
rious fish, but it is not essential that one 
should possess each of these rods. 

It is requisite, however, that a person fish- 
ing with fly and bait should own at least two 
rods, the light, elastic fly-casting rod, and the 
middle weight, more firm, but not stiff bait 
rod. 

If the more ponderous fish, such as the 
striped bass and mascalonge, are sought, 
another short and stout rod will be needed, 
but for all ordinary purposes the two rods 
above mentioned will meet all demands. 

The above are the essentials required in 
fishing; the many convenient and useful " side 
issues " will make themselves apparent quickly 
after one becomes engaged in the art, and it 
needs but a passing interest to make a person 
its admirer and lover as long as he lives. 



BAIT. 

It often occurs that good fishing may be 
convenient and plenty of tackle within reach, 
but that main desideratum, bait, cannot readily 
be procured. Sometimes it happens that one 
may be upon a body of water inhabited by 
countless hungry fish anxious for a meal, while 
the meal is beyond the reach of both angler 
and quarry. 

And, again, the very water in question may 
be teeming with the most appropriate bait, 
yet inaccessible to the big fish, but within 
reach of the angler if he knows how to se- 
cure it. 

More especially is this so in the case of 
minnows and other small fish, which, knowing 
their danger, seek the security afforded by 
shallow inlets, brush, overhanging trees, and 
other safe hiding-places. The larger fish 
rarely venture into such surroundings, and the 
little fellows are comparatively free from dan- 
ger. 

All game fish prefer live minnows as a steady 
diet, and for good reasons, as it would be diffi- 
cult to find a better meal in any fish flesh 

(29) 



30 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

than is afforded by the black striped minnow 
so abundant in many of our streams. The lit- 
tle red chub plentifully found in the West is 
also an excellent pan-fish, as are many others ; 
and all are superior, indeed, the very best bait 
that can be placed in the water to tempt the 
bass, mascalonge, and other finny combat- 
ants. 

If a quantity of minnows is desired, the best 
method is to secure a small meshed net or 
mosquito bar, six feet square, attach hickory 
bows diagonally, and tie a rope to the bows 
where they meet in the centre. Throw the 
rope across the limb of a tree projecting over 
the water and allow the net to sink to the 
bottom at a depth not exceeding three feet. 

Remaining quiet a few moments, the shore 
end of the rope is pulled, the net lifted, quiet- 
ly, of course, and a plentiful supply of min- 
nows will be the result. 

A big fish is occasionally taken by this 
method, as such are often in the vicinity where 
minnows abound, for business purposes only. 

If a few minnows are desired, they can gen- 
erally be picked up with a very small hook 
attached to an old leader, and baited with a 
small bit of worm or meat. Pull a boat into 
the brush, finding an opening into the water 
to drop the hook. Make fast and rest a few 



GATHERING MINNOWS. 3 1 

moments, and there will be no difficulty in 
catching as much bait as may be required. 

If, however, the little fellows " fight shy," 
and but one or two, or perhaps half a dozen, 
are caught, place them in a bottle of water, 
cork it up and sink it in the water directly 
under the spot in which your bait is playing. 
In a moment all the fish in the vicinity will 
be on a tour of investigation, and you will be 
kept busy lifting them out. 

If a light willow wand is cut and used as a 
rod some little pleasure can be derived in this 
pursuit, and once in a while a hot skirmish 
with a pound fish will ensue. 

The pretty silver-side minnow of the streams 
is readily taken in this manner, and is a splen- 
did bait, but difficult to keep alive any length 
of time, and in order to prove most efficacious 
minnows should be kept alive. 

In boat fishing this can readily be done by 
placing them in a pail and changing the water 
occasionally, or by the use of a perforated 
double pail, lifting the inner pail and placing 
it in the water beside the boat when an- 
chored. 

An excellent method for keeping minnows 
alive consists of a rubber bulb and two feet 
of small tubing, the end of which is placed 
in a pail of water. Pressure on the bulb forces 



32 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

air Into the water, thus aerating it and giving 
life to the minnows. 

A h'ght wooden frame, top and bottom of 
thin wood, with an opening or door in the 
top, the sides of wire-cloth nailed to the frame, 
makes an excellent car for keeping minnows 
and large fish alive. It can be made any 
depth, but should be weighted and sunk as 
deep as possible, a rope being attached to 
bring it to hand when desired. 

In all kinds of still fishing the minnow 
should be hooked through the rim or outer 
edge of both lips, the hook passing from the 
bottom upward. Some pass the hook through 
the back beneath the dorsal fin, being careful 
not to puncture the backbone ; but by this 
method the sinker will often cause the min- 
now to swim upside-down, a rather unusual 
condition which rarely occurs when hooked 
through the lips. It will live quite as long 
when hooked by either method, but will prove 
a better bait when hooked through the lips, 
as minnows invariably go down the throat of 
a fish head first. 

One of the best baits for black bass, es- 
pecially when the fish inhabit running waters, 
is the Helgramite or Dobson, known also 
under at least forty other names in as many 
localities. It is a deep black, about two inches 



SECURING LIVE BAIT. 33 

in length, with a row of " feelers " down each 
side, and is found under logs and stones in 
brooks and swift rivers. It can be kept alive 
for days in a small box with damp grass. It 
should be hooked in the joint just back of the 
head. 

Live grasshoppers are an excellent bait for 
trout and bass, and can readily be caught by 
the use of a net of mosquito bar with a handle 
attached. In quiet nooks of a stream it will 
attract trout of a large size. The grasshopper 
should be allowed to float on the surface, no 
sinker being used. 

Angle-worms will attract any fish, and can 
be dug up in rich soil almost anywhere. If, 
however, one does not care to dig they can 
readily be brought from beneath the soil by 
liberally sprinkling the surface with salt water, 
dissolving two or three pounds of salt in a 
pail of water. The ground heavily coated 
with this preparation will instantly be covered 
with an army of crawlers that merely require 
picking up. If they are to be kept some 
time, place them in a box of earth, pouring a 
handful of cornmeal upon the top, and over 
this pour a quart of milk, leaving the box 
open or uncovered. 

Raw beef is one of the best baits in use 
for general fishing, and in the spring, before 



34 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

frost leaves the ground and worms can be se- 
cured, it is the best that can be had for trout. 
After being in the water a few moments, it 
becomes white and very attractive. 

Small pieces of pork, mutton, and slices of 
the white meat of fish form an excellent bait 
at times, but all meat used for this purpose 
should be fresh. 

The shedder crab, used in salt-water fishing, 
is found among the seaweed at low water. It 
has a soft shell, which is quite thin and easily 
removed, leaving a thin, yellowish, and rather 
tough skin. This is lined by a white flesh, 
which is cut into pieces, forming four or five 
baits, placing each upon the hook to show as 
much of the white meat as is possible. It is by 
far the best bait that can be utilized in salt- 
water still-fishing. It can be bought at the 
markets in New York, as can any other bait, 
at a moderate expense. 

Soft-shell clams are a good salt-water bait, 
the eye or hard portions only being used, the 
soft part and the shells being thrown away. 
Oysters, treated in the same manner, are also 
serviceable — and costly. 

Sandworms are the product of dark sand 
upon the seashore, and are taken from beneath 
rocks at the ebb of the tide. They grow to 
a length of 12 to 15 inches, are of a dark red 



TROLLING BAITS., 35 

color, fringed with " crawlers " on both sides, 
and have pinchers that will bite rather forcibly. 
Keep them in a box with a little sand or 
damp seaweed. One worm will bait two 
hooks, but they should only be used while 
alive, as fish will not touch the dead worm. 
If a whole worm is used, pass the hook through 
the middle, allowing three inches of each end 
to wriggle. 

Shrimp can be caught in any quantity in 
the still nooks of a salt river by the use of a 
landing net covered with mosquito tarlatan. 
Keep them in a box of wet sawdust, where 
they will live all day. Hook them from end 
to end, tail foremost. 

Shrimp are a good salt-water bait. 

Frogs can be readily caught by attaching a 
small piece of red flannel to a hook, and cast- 
ing it within reach of the " beast." They will 
keep alive for several days by placing them in 
a box of wet moss. Frogs from one to one 
and a half inches long are the proper size, and 
it does not appear to make much difference if 
they are hooked through the lips or the legs. 

Trolling baits consist principally of spoons 
and minnows, and when the latter cannot be 
had conveniently artificial minnows are used. 
They are made in all sizes, of silk, rubber, 
sole-skin, and metal, variegated in color. 



36 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

mounted with hooks and always ready for 
business. 

Spoons are made of metal, silver or gold 
plated, in all styles and sizes. Some are 
smooth, others fluted or hammered, yet with 
one end in view — to present a glittering ap- 
pearance. All spoons should have a swivel 
attached, and the hooks should be concealed 
by feathers. They should always be made 
with a bent snap at the end of the shank, in 
order that a broken hook may readily be re- 
placed. They are usually made with a set of 
three hooks attached, connected back to back 
in grapnel fashion. I believe two hooks are 
better, as they are equally sure to fasten se- 
curely, generally in the lower jaw, and are 
much more readily removed. Besides, it per- 
mits the use of larger and stronger hooks, a 
matter of importance when big fish are inter- 
viewed. 

All insects have their artificial counterpart, 
and can be bought at any tackle store. They 
are usually made of rubber and colored to imi- 
tate nature, or, as in case of the mouse, cov- 
ered with fur. Among such are frogs, hel- 
gramite, grasshoppers, crickets, shrimp, worms, 
caterpillars, wasps, bees, potato-bugs, gnats, 
beetles, moths, etc. 

The variety of artificial flies is simply end- 



FLY BOOKS. 37 

less. In color, size, and shape any fastidious 
fish can doubtless have its daintiest wants 
supplied; but the one predominating difficulty 
is to hit upon the particular " want " in de- 
mand. It can only be discovered by trying, 
and " if at first you don't succeed, try, try 
again." Although the angler may require but 
a dozen flies, yet it is always advisable to keep 
a well-supplied fly book near by. They may 
never be needed, but then, should the occasion 
arise, they will be wanted with all your might. 

Besides, no little gratification is derived from 
the display of a crowded fly book, and on a 
cold winter's night a heap of comfort and 
pleasure is obtained from the mere mechanical 
process of " straightening out those nice flies." 

Moths are very destructive in a fly book, 
and invariably attack it unless prevented, but 
they can be vanquished, and further inroads 
obviated by making use of the receipts given 
at the end of this book. 



FLY CASTING AND FLY FISHING. 

The recreation of fishing is greatly en- 
hanced, bringing a larger compensation and a 
more lingering excitement, when the method 
known as fly casting is practiced. 

Pages of profound sentiment have enriched 
many volumes upon this subject, while the 
process has been minutely and graphically 
described times beyond compute ; yet there is 
but a single method to follow which will ena- 
ble a person to perfectly acquire a knowledge 
of this highest development of the angler's 
art, and that is actual practice. 

Every volume yet printed upon, or which 
refers to, the subject has made the same asser- 
tion, and then proceeded, as I shall do here, 
the best I can, toward giving the learner an 
idea how to begin. 

In one respect alone, if for no other equally 
good reason, it is immeasurably superior to 
all other kinds of angling, and that is its clean- 
liness. It avoids the use of uncleanly and an- 
noying bait, such as worms, frogs, and min- 
nows, and a pair of delicate kid gloves need 
hardly become soiled because of its practice. 
(38) 



THE LIGHT FLY ROD. 39 

Fifteen years ago the favorite rod for this 
purpose was eleven or twelve feet in length, 
and weighed about three-fourths of a pound. 
At present the popular rod is not over ten 
feet in length, and will average but six ounces 
in weight. The object in using such a light 
rod is principally to avoid fatigue ; for in bait 
fishing one usually remains seated in a boat, 
where it requires but little effort to hold a rod 
suspended above the water. 

In fly fishing, however, the hand and arm 
are continually kept in a studied motion. 
Therefore, every ounce in weight that can be 
elided lengthens and adds to one's pleasure. 

Experience has also proven that weight in 
material neither catches nor kills fish, and that 
a heavy fish will succumb to the strain of a 
light rod as surely, if not quite as readily, as if 
the heavier and more cumbersome tool is used. 

Although the fly rod of to-day is but half 
the weight of that in use a few years ago, yet 
the angler of the present time will place his 
flies fully twice the distance reached by the 
adepts of the last generation, and will enjoy 
the recreation from sunrise to sunset with 
unalloyed pleasure, while a single hour's fish- 
ing with the ponderous and oppressive relic 
of other days would fatigue the muscles of the 
arm and compel a temporary rest. 



40 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

An elastic, pliant rod, regardless of wood or 
weight, a rod that is limber, yet quick of ac- 
tion, is the proper rod for trout fishing, and 
when one becomes acquainted with the man- 
ner of laying out forty feet of line smoothly 
and straight he will thereafter seek lightness 
in the tool. 

When a man casts thirty feet of line his 
flies drop nearly forty feet distant, and this is 
more than will generally be required upon a 
stream. 

Adopt the rod that suits you, but wait until 
you find it, which may not occur until you 
have tried a great many. It is an easy matter 
to walk into a tackle-shop and select a rod 
that may seem to meet your idea ; but the 
same rod, when put to its task encumbered 
with reel, line, and flies, may prove " a horse 
of another color." 

Not long ago I was fishing upon the famous 
Brodhead, in Pennsylvania, where I met a 
gentleman with a rod as heavy and unwieldy 
as anything of the kind I had ever seen. It 
bore evidence of having been home-made, and 
by dint of long service had become painfully 
" set," or bent. The butt was of ash, the 
second or middle joint was of hickory, and the 
tip of lancewood. 

I was not a little surprised to learn that it 



INDIAN BAMBOO. 4 1 

was a fly-casting rod made and used by that 
foremost among Quaker anglers, Thaddeus 
Norris, and his name still appeared burned 
into the hand-piece. About the time this rod 
was made a revolution had taken place in the 
manufacture and use of angling implements, 
and this was an example of the new departure. 

It is enough to make a man shiver merely 
to think of the frightful weapons which pre- 
ceded this tool. That which followed it, 
however, the casting rod of to-day, is the rod 
par excellence of all angling ages, the one su- 
perlatively fine thing of its kind, and it will 
be a matter of great difficulty to improve it. 

I have killed many trout of four and five 
pounds in weight upon a rod weighing five 
ounces, and this, too, in swift and turbulent 
waters. 

With such a tool one is enabled to cast 
steadily for hours, while the muscles of the 
hand and arm will scarcely note the effort. 

Doubtless there are many good rods built 
of various woods, such as lancewood, green- 
heart, etc., but the very best material for 
fishing rods is the Indian bamboo, rent into 
six triangular pieces, glued together and wound 
with silk. Such rods, when well made, in 
strength, elasticity, and durability are un- 
equalled. 



42 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

A Split-bamboo rod, of the best quality, 
will cost from $25 to $30, and will " stand by " 
for years. One such rod in my possession has 
labored faithfully, and sometimes heavily, for 
twelve years, and the total amount expended 
upon it has not exceeded twenty-five cents, 
this being for its annual coat of varnish. 

Be careful to select only the hexagonal, or 
square-edged bamboo rod, as the great strength 
of this material lies in the fibre upon its out- 
side. Split-bamboo rods that are round have 
had this enamel shaved off, and must of ne- 
cessity sacrifice much of their strength. 

A point of great importance in the selec- 
tion of a rod is to find one that fits the pur- 
chaser — one that just suits ; c.nd this will not 
prove a very easy matter. The difference in 
fishing rods is monumental. When the right 
rod is secured, never part company with 
it. You may try a car-load of others, but the 
friendly hang of the old rod will never again 
be found. The right rod, too, can never be 
correctly chosen in the store where it is sold. 

It is amusing to step into a tackle-shop and 
observe the methods displayed in the selec- 
tion of a rod. It will be carefully jointed. The 
purchaser grasps the butt and forthwith pro- 
ceeds to cut a swath in the surrounding at- 
mosphere. Oh, yes, it bends all right ; it 



SELECTING A ROD. 43 

hangs elegantly ; it feels light ; and, why, of 
course, it looks just too beautiful. The mere 
sight of it ought to paralyze the fish. But it 
won't. When you reach the brook and " rig 
up " for business, you will find it may not bal- 
ance well ; it may be too weak in the back, or 
too pliant, or too stiff, or too slow in its 
spring, or — well, it don't suit you any way. 

Therefore, in purchasing an expensive rod, 
an agreement should be made to the effect 
that if on trial the rod proves unsatisfactory 
it will be exchanged, always providing it is 
uninjured. By repeating this process you may 
eventually draw the coveted prize, in spite of 
the fact that the man who sold you the rod 
has been considerably annoyed. However, 
when you are well satisfied, the dealer will 
find himself repaid for his trouble in profits 
resulting from the kind words you can bestow 
upon your treasure. 

Should you become the owner of a good 
rod, take care of it. Don't toss it in a corner 
or down in the cellar, but lay it away in a dry, 
cool place, unjointed and at full length. At 
the close of the fishing season clean the rod 
thoroughly with fine pumice-stone and apiece 
of chamois, but avoid chafing the silk wind- 
ings. Then with a flat hair brush apply a 
coat of thin coach varnish, and suspend each 



44 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

joint by a string until dry. Apply a second 
coat and suspend for a week. Then clean the 
metal parts with sweet oil and rotten-stone, 
and put it away for the winter. 

Surely, when you have reached the split- 
bamboo stage of proficiency, and expended 
twenty-five or thirty dollars for a rod, you will 
at least be careful of the dainty tool. You 
certainly will be while angling; yet more rods 
are broken by absolute carelessness than in 
any other manner. Laying it upon the piazza 
for wayfarers to step upon, or allowing the 
tip to run against a tree, or some similar ex- 
ample of utter neglect, means a broken rod, 
sooner or later, and the consequent era of ill 
feeling and an alarming array of animated lan- 
guage. 

Fly casting and fly fishing are not one and 
the same thing, by any means. Formerly it 
was customary, usually during the month of 
May, to hold fly-casting tournaments upon 
the mere in Central Park, and some pretty 
powerful casting has been witnessed upon 
these occasions ; but such " goings on," such 
slashing in the air and upon the water would 
not only fail to induce a " rise," but would be 
very sure to send every trout in the vicinity 
scurrying down stream as fast as they could 
get away. 



FLY FISHING. 45 

Long casts are imposing and showy, and 
exhibit the results of patient and constant 
practice, but they are not intended to catch 
fish, and will fail of this purpose, even should 
a fish by any accident hook itself. Long be- 
fore the line would come under the control of 
the angler the fish would have voided the 
hook and escaped. 

The art of casting flies, therefore, need be 
acquired solely for the purpose of gracefully 
placing a deceptive food before the most cun- 
ning of fish, and for the sole purpose of play- 
ing an "April fool's " trick upon the sagacious 
spotted inhabitants of our brooks, and long 
casts will not be needed in the effort. 

To know how to speed the fly through the 
air, and let it fall gently and naturally at the 
edge of a little eddy forty feet away ; to hold 
it there like a thing of life ; to see the deluded 
trout rush and seize the lure ; to hook and 
handle the nimble fish until brought to its 
natural end — the landing net — this is fly fish- 
ing. 

" To keep it there " is one of the secrets of 
the art. 

Did you ever stand upon the banks of a 
stream and see a living fly resting upon the 
waters perfectly still ? Not often, and neither 
should the forgery be permitted to remain 



46 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

quiet, but should always be kept " on the 
move." 

Keep the artificial fly fluttering upon the 
surface of the water, and, if possible, let it sail 
with the current. If a fly remains immovable 
in one place, while the current sweeps along, 
its anomalous position will be discovered in- 
stantly by the wary trout, for the fish knows 
as well as you do that such a condition is un- 
natural, and lets it severely alone. 

When the weather is pleasant and there is 
no wind, take your rod and wander away to 
the banks of a purling brook. Rig your tackle, 
loop a fly upon the end, which we will call the 
tail fly, and fasten another to the leader two 
feet from the " tail " fly, which we will call the 
** dropper." Step upon a rock, unreel fifteen 
feet of line and let the current float it down 
stream. When its full length has gone down, 
raise the tip of your rod slowly until the 
" dropper " just touches the water. There, 
the whole secret of fly casting lies in tossing 
your flies so they will alight upon the water 
in this position, and but little more line will 
ever be required to do effective work. 

While the flies are down stream give your 
rod a lively inclination backward — a sharp, 
steady jerk — until the tip is above and a 
trifle back of your head. This will lift the 



HOW TO CAST THE FLY. 47 

line from the water and carry it back of you, 
and, when it lies out straight behind you, send 
the rod forward quickly, and the line will fol- 
low, while the flies fall upon the water because 
they can fall nowhere else. As they fall upon 
the water raise your tip to guide them, and 
draw them toward you to keep them dancing 
upon the surface. 

Do not let your line touch the water when 
the flies fall in the forward cast, if you can 
avoid it, and never, under any circumstances, 
in the backward cast. 

Keep your flies in the air behind you and 
upon the water in front of you, and, when you 
are drawing them toward you, do not let the 
rod come nearer than an angle of forty-five 
degrees before retrieving and making another 
cast. 

If the tip of the rod is over your head, and 
your flies are on the water, you would, in case 
a fish should " rise," either miss the fish or, if 
hooked, break the rod. Besides, the line can- 
not be retrieved to make another cast while 
the tip is above the head. 

Practice this for some time until you have 
confidence, then invite some "old-timer" to 
go out with you and see how you can cast 
a fly. 

He will readily oblige you — for they are all 



48 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

big-hearted — and it will touch the tenderest 
cockles of his heart merely to look upon a fly 
rod. He will advise and coach you, watch 
and correct your errors, and bring you nearer 
to perfection in half an hour than the reading 
of forty books could possibly accomplish to- 
ward this desired end. 

When you have learned to cast flies with 
some little skill, try to catch a trout. 

You will discover that casting flies and 
catching trout are not by any means identical. 

You may read in books that the instant 
you see a " rise," strike. Don't do it — at least 
not yet. For the present, when you get a 
*'rise," wait an instant until you feel your 
fish, then a light "strike," a short twist of 
the wrist will fasten the hook in the flesh of 
the mouth securely. 

You are but a beginner, and your enthusiasm 
may possibly cause you to forget the delicate 
nature of your apparatus. 

If you " strike " hard you are likely to break 
your rod, or if the fish is small you are liable 
to send it sailing through the air over into the 
adjoining county. 

Therefore " strike " gently, just hard enough 
to impale the hook and keep a taut line, play- 
ing the fish in the water until it turns over 
exhausted. If the fish pulls very hard, give 



HOW TO MAKE THE ''STRIKE. 49 

him line, but make him work hard for every 
inch. 

The most difficult thing to describe, yet an 
essential feature in fishing, is the '' strike." 
When fishing a stream, and the line and flies 
are held taut by the current, the trout itself 
will often accomplish the " strike " — in other 
words, the fish seizes the hook, and instantly 
rushes away with its prey, thus forcing the 
point of the hook into the flesh. 

This is the precise object of the '* strike," 
to force the hook into the flesh of the mouth, 
and is accomplished by a very slight jerk, or 
twist of the wrist. 

From the instant the '' strike " is made 
until the fish is landed, the line must be kept 
straight, or taut, and give and take must be 
the order of the hour. 

From this moment — the instant the '' strike " 
is made — the value of a pliant rod is apprecia- 
ted, and to observe its splendid qualities you 
have but to hold it up straight and allow the 
fish to fight. 

Whatever direction the fish may seek, the 
rod will follow, and when it comes toward you 
the rod will straighten up. Should the fish 
pull hard, very hard, the faithful little rod will 
bend until it forms an arch like the upper half 
of the letter O. 



50 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

Then, and not until then, when the rod is 
bent to its limit of endurance, give the fish 
line from the reel, and thus protect the rod 
from breaking. 

If, however, you gave the reel freedom when 
the fish was hooked, enough line, doubtless, 
went off at the first rush of the fish to prevent 
the necessity of giving more. 

It is always safe in " striking " to give the 
reel its freedom. This course will prevent 
damage, will hook the fish, and indeed is one 
of the most forcible reasons for using the 
single-action click reel in fly fishing. If a 
quadruple-multiplying reel received its free- 
dom in "striking," the most serious conse- 
quences would follow. 

Perhaps you have heard of the beautiful 
and perfect arch formed by the pliant rod 
while playing a trout in the water. If you 
desire to make these arches a study, fasten 
your fly to a fence post and pull ; but if you 
are fishing don't let the beautiful arch worry 
you. As long as a fish is hooked and pulls, 
you will necessarily hold your rod up and 
play the fish, and the graceful bend in the 
rod will remain as long as the fish remains. 
When the fish escapes the bend will prompt- 
ly disappear, if the rod is any good what- 
ever. 



THE VIRTUE OF PATIENCE. $1 

As a general thing, if the fish runs deep or 
makes for shelter, it is securely hooked ; but if 
it keeps near the surface of the water, floun- 
dering as it were, it is but lightly hooked and 
is endeavoring to rid itself of the incum- 
brance. Under these conditions, if there is 
room, give the fish line, and plenty of it, 
playing it carefully until exhausted. If near 
stumps, rocks, or logs, the fish is liable to run 
around or under one, in which event the line 
must be held taut and the rod perfectly 
still. The fish may then by its struggles free 
the line from entanglement. If it does not 
accomplish this you will not be able to do so, 
and not only will the game be lost, but the 
leader and flies also. However, it is always 
best to strain your tackle to its limit before 
allowing a fish to gain the coveted retreat. 

In such a predicament — that is to say, after 
you have hooked and had lots of fun with 
a balky fish, and it has departed — all you need 
to do is to exclaim : " There now ! " and con- 
tinue casting for another victim. 

You may be tempted to use bad words. 
Don't do it. Swallow your bubbling bad sen- 
timents cheerfully, if possible, but somehow 
under any circumstances. Pretty soon you 
will become inured to the loss of a fish or 
two. It will become easier to your feelings, 



52 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

and you will be master of the angler's greatest 
virtue, patience. 

The patient angler is invariably the success- 
ful angler. 

In fishing a stream it is most essential that 
clear ground lies behind as well as before the 
angler, else in making the backward cast the 
flies are liable to fasten upon the limb of a 
tree or bush, and disaster result. Many 
leaders and flies are lost and many fine rods 
snapped in twain by carelessness in this re- 
spect. 

An artistic outfit of tackle will tend to 
success, while clumsy lines, big knots, and 
"gawky" flies will surely prove the reverse. 
Neither does it require an endless array of 
costly flies to " catch on," but a few only, and 
usually those of standard patterns, small in 
size, will suffice. 

The selection of flies is not a matter of very 
great importance, although I am well aware 
that some excellent books have been written 
upon the subject, and many prolix schedules 
of flies given, to guide the angler in mak- 
ing a choice. Seasons, conditions of weather 
and water, time of day, location, and various 
other matters must be thoroughly considered, 
it is alleged, in choosing flies, and splendid 
reasons are elaborately propounded while the 



THE BE^t FLIES. $3 

main factor in the matter is quietly over- 
looked. 

The truth is that a trout, if hungry, pre- 
cisely like the angler, will " go " for anything. 

If satiated with food, again like the good 
angler, it will be difficult to tempt him with 
anything. I have time and again cast upon 
pools where trout could be plainly seen and 
met no rise, although an endless array of 
flies were offered. The next day, in the 
same spot, most any sort of a fly would prove 
killing. When I go fishing the following will 
be found in my book, and when they do not 
draw I am satisfied none others will succeed. 
This is my list, and I believe they will serve 
equally well on any water. Besides they are 
old favorites, and can be purchased anywhere : 

Grey Hackle, Brown Hackle, Grizzly King, 
Professor, Montreal, Black Gnat, Cowdung, 
Coachman, White Miller, Alder, Queen of the 
Water, May-fly, and a few midge-flies, very 
small and dark in color. 

For use on brooks the fly should be tied on 
a No. 12 sproat hook, and for rivers and lakes 
on a No. 6 or 7 hook. Light flies in the morn- 
ing and evening and on cloudy days, and dark 
flies in bright weather, are the most effective. 

I see no benefit to be derived from the use 
of more than one fly; indeed, I am quite sure 



54 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

one fly will prove more successful than if more 
are tied to the leader. A single fly, falling 
and fluttering upon the water, presents a nat- 
ural appearance, and can be controlled easily, 
while in using a string of multi-colored flies 
some must inevitably conduct themselves with 
no little impropriety. 

It can scarcely be avoided, as only one fly 
can be kept under control, no matter how ex- 
pert a hand may guide the rod. 

I have been told that the use of a natural 
fly — that is, an artificial fly resembling the liv- 
ing insect — seen upon the water when angling, 
would always prove killing, but I have not 
found it so. I have used the exact artificial 
counterpart of the May-fly when the waters 
were dotted with the living ephemera^ and gen- 
erally with poor success ; but when the fly was 
exchanged for a gaudier counterfeit the fish 
would attack it vigorously and continuously. 
This has occurred to me on many occasions, 
and I merely relate the fact, being utterly 
unable to advance any reason for the phe- 
nomenon. 

If more than one fly is used on such waters 
as the Rangeley lakes in Maine, Lake Edward, 
Canada, and others inhabited by very large 
fish, disaster is a possible and probable result. 
Trout are taken here very often weighing up 



THE CASTING LINE. 55 

to seven and eight pounds, and one such fish 
is about all that can be managed. If three flies 
are attached to the leader, and one of these 
big fish should seize each — an event within 
easy range of possibility — some portion of the 
tackle is liable to break, no matter how skill- 
fully it may be handled. 

It is advisable and far more convenient to 
purchase flies at stores in preference to mak- 
ing them, although it has become a trifle styl- 
ish to be able to say : " I made that fly at home." 
It requires considerable practice before one 
becomes an adept at making flies; indeed, 
most all the home-made flies I have seen have 
been clumsy to a degree. Of course, if one 
has time that requires killing, fly-making is a 
pleasant vocation. 

The silk lines made by American manufac- 
turers are pre-eminently the best in the world. 
They are carefully and evenly braided of pure 
silk, and then enameled with linseed-oil and 
paraffine, thus waterproofing the fibre and 
making a surface as smooth as glass. They 
render from the reel and pass through guide 
rings with perfect freedom, and can only be 
made to kink with difficulty, while a tangle of 
any kind can readily be released. 

They are exceedingly strong and durable 
when used in fresh water, but salt water soon 



56 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

destroys them, as it will any other line. It is 
therefore advisable to use a linen line when 
fishing in salt water, if expense is to be con- 
sidered, as these silken lines cost about two 
and a half cents per foot. They are expen- 
sive but good, and the only appropriate line 
fit to use in fly casting, not only because of 
the smoothness of finish, but for the import- 
ant advantage of their weight. 

A light line cannot be cast well — indeed, it 
can hardly be controlled ; but the material 
used in waterproofing and enameling the silk 
adds the required weight and makes them 
comparatively easy to cast. 

They are made either level throughout or 
with ends tapered, the taper beginning from 
six to ten feet from the end and becoming 
smaller until it is scarcely heavier than the 
gut leader to which it is fastened. 

Various excuses have been advanced on be- 
half of the tapered line, but I have never been 
able to discover any advantage in its use, and 
the impression seems to gain ground that 
there is nothing in it, and that the line level 
throughout is the best. 

If the angler will make it a practice never 
to waste line in casting, that is, to cast only 
what is required to catch fish, he will find a 
level line serves every purpose; and, besides, it 



PREPARING LEADERS. 57 

will last for years after the tapered portion 
has rotted. 

All lines made of linen or cotton will swell 
after being wet, and unless carefully dried will 
speedily rot. This cannot readily occur to 
our enameled lines, yet they should be drawn 
through a piece of flannel after being used for 
a time, if only upon the principle that a good 
thing deserves attention and protection. 

In selecting leaders for fly casting choose 
only the finest, those perfectly round, and 
dyed a mist color. Those with a loop at each 
end and one in the middle can be had at any 
tackle-store. One end is fastened to the line, 
and a fly in each loop, although three flies are 
sometimes used. 

The gut used in making leaders can readily 
be purchased and tied to suit one's own ideas, 
but the complete leaders, artistically tied in 
any length, can be secured at any tackle-shop 
at reasonable prices, and in quantities to suit. 

A small tin box should always be carried, 
one-half an inch thick and three inches in di- 
ameter, in which two pieces of felt are placed. 
The felt should be thoroughly soaked in water, 
and the leaders, or those to be used on the 
following day, should be placed between the 
felt and allowed to remain over night. In the 
morning, when fastened to the Ijne, they will 



58 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

straighten out perfectly, otherwise they will 
kink and curve and bend until they are straight- 
ened out by the water in which they are cast. 
The box can be carried in the pocket, and, if 
a new leader is desired, one is always ready. 
Soaking over night in a cup of water will 
serve the same purpose. 

Always examine the leader carefully before 
using, and also after having been used for a 
period, and when any damaged spots or frayed 
edges are discovered, discard it for a new one. 

When going a-fishing always keep in view 
the sound advice given by the colored gentle- 
man to his companion on a hen-inspecting ex- 
pedition : " Lay low in the high grass." In 
other words, keep as quiet as possible. The 
trout is a wary fish, as are all others, and will 
scamper off at the least indication of danger. 
A strange shadow upon the water will send 
them scurrying away for dear life. 

On the other hand, if approached quietly 
and no cause for alarm given, the trout is the 
very incarnation of courage, and will seize a 
fly within a few feet of the hand that casts it. 

If fishing from the shore keep in the deep- 
est shadows as much as possible, and when a 
promising pool is found, sit down behind a 
bunch of alders, make yourself comfortable, 
light your pipe and smoke away five minutes 



TO PREVENT A CHILL. 59 

of time. Then, with scarcely a movement, 
send your flies softly and quietly to the spot, 
and your chances for a " strike " are about 
perfect. It should be noted that, as fish can- 
not see out of the water, any color of garment 
may be worn, and, as stated, rubber stockings 
coming up to the armpits are best for wading 
a stream. In the summer-time, however, when 
the cold water has run off, little harm will arise 
from an occasional dip in the water without 
rubber coverings for the legs if woolen under- 
clothes and stockings are worn. No danger 
will be incurred from the wetting ; it is the 
cooling process, and the chill which ensues, 
that causes trouble. 

Therefore, when the feet and legs have be- 
come wet, keep them wet until starting for 
home, when a brisk walk or run will excite 
the circulation of the blood and avert danger 
until dry clothing can be secured. 

I have stumbled into deep holes and filled 
my rubbers with cold, spring-time snow-water, 
and have allowed it to remain there for hours. 
The result was that the temperature of the 
blood and the water soon assimilated, and, 
aside from the inconvenient, heavy weight, I 
was quite comfortable, and no disagreeable re- 
sults followed. 

I have always pursued this course, believing 



6o THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

that turning out the water would chill the 
skin, if not the blood. It is curious, too, how 
quickly, after the first sensation of coldness 
passes away, one becomes used to this condi- 
tion of affairs. However, with both boot-legs 
full of water, locomotion, to say the least, re- 
quires an effort and careful sailing. 

The one great annoyance in angling is those 
undesirable pests, mosquitoes and black-flies. 

They are not so troublesome upon running 
water as upon lakes and ponds, where, like the 
calmers in Verne's book, " they can be counted 
by millions." 

The best method to circumvent these petty 
tormentors is to wear a head-net made of fine 
tarlatan, and cover the hands with a pair of 
old dog-skin gloves. 

Lotions to rub upon the flesh will also 
prove efficacious, several excellent receipts for 
making which will be found at the end of this 
volume. 




2 - 

E^ en 

o 

o ^ 
o § 

EH 



THE BROOK TROUT. 
Salmo fontinalis. 

The trout, by which is meant the spotted 
and dainty little " salmon of the fountain " 
that is found in the brooks of our country, is 
the prettiest fish in existence. Ichthyologists 
have divided the trout family into more than 
a score of species, and embarrassed it with 
the hardest kind of Latin names, yet after all, 
according to the scientists, it is not a trout, 
but just a plain, ordinary charr. 

The distinction between the true trout and 
the charr is principally a matter of dentition ; 
but the generous angler is delighted to battle 
with any of the family, regardless of teeth, 
and quite willing the professors should re- 
main at home evolving more species and 
harder names. Indeed, it was purely a ques- 
tion of teeth which robbed our trout of the 
appropriate and beautiful name — salmo fonti- 
nalis — bestowed upon it by Prof. Mitchell fifty 
years ago. 

The brook trout has a long and very grace- 

(63) 



64 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

ful body, with brown, irregular markings on a 
greenish back, growing lighter upon the sides, 
with a white abdomen which assumes a red- 
dish tint during the breeding season. It has 
blue and yellow spots upon the sides, and 
is exquisitely dotted with bright vermilion 
specks of the size of a pin's head. It has a 
large, symmetrical head, big and tough mouth, 
and a brown spotted tail, broad and almost 
square across the end. 

The trout is sought more diligently than 
any other fish we have, probably because it 
inhabits a wider range of water than any other, 
being found from Maine to California. It has 
become somewhat scarce in the brooks situated 
near cities, all of which are being continually 
beaten by anglers, but is still found fairly 
numerous in more distant streams. 

Since breeding fish by artificial methods 
has been perfected, many barren waters have 
been stocked and now afford splendid sport. 
Planting artificially hatched fish in streams is 
of recent invention, and may safely be ad- 
judged one of the greatest triumphs of mod- 
ern science. If politicians would abate their 
personal deification a trifle, and devote a little 
energy and a trifle of the people's money to- 
ward the propagation of the finny tribe, our 
scanty waters would soon teem with the best 



HAUNTS OF BIG TROUT. 65 

food-fish, and the wealth of our country there- 
by vastly enhanced. 

A trout of one pound in weight is above 
the average. Such a fish assumes a sort of 
leadership, monopolizing the choicest feeding- 
grounds and deepest holes in the stream. In 
the eddies, below falls, and in such places 
where the natural current carries the most 
food, the largest trout are most likely to be 
found. 

The pugnacity of the trout is simply mon- 
umental. He is a fighter direct from Fights- 
ville, will hold his own against tremendous 
odds, and will not hesitate to devour his 
brethren and offspring. I have taken trout of 
a pound in weight, and found the tail of a six- 
inch trout projecting from the mouth of the 
captured finny cannibal. 

An occasional "old stager" is rescued from 
streams that will reach two and even three 
pounds in weight, while in certain favored 
localities in Maine and Canada this size is 
greatly exceeded. I have taken trout weigh- 
ing eight pounds, and have seen them even 
larger. These big fellows, however, although 
naturally strong and stubborn, do not afford 
the sport and excitement which the nimble 
two-pounder will furnish. 

The trout Is the poet's fish, and the only 



66 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

inhabitant of the waters worthy a poet's song ; 
it will live only in the purest and coldest wa- 
ter, always fit to quench man's thirst, and the 
surroundings are usually of the most primitive 
nature. 

It is, as has been said, a most voracious fish, 
and hence will bite at anything resembling 
food, and often that which resembles nothing 
under the sun — if in a biting mood. If other- 
wise, it can hardly be tempted by any sort 
of lure. 

The experienced angler of to-day uses a 
rod 8J feet in length, and weighing about 5 
ounces ; but for others a rod of the same 
length, weighing 6J to 7 ounces, will prove 
more satisfactory. A light click reel, G-silk 
enameled line, three-foot gut leader and No. 
5 or 6 sproat-hooks, a bait-box, and a wil- 
low basket hung from the shoulders, will com- 
plete the outfit required in brook fishing. 
Attach a split shot, four or five inches above 
the hook, to sink the bait. 

A live minnow, not over two inches in 
length, impaled through both lips, will gen- 
erally attract the largest fish ; but the minnow 
is difficult to carry along a stream, and the 
next best bait is the angle-worm. It should 
be impaled upon the hook, leaving a greater 
portion of each end to wriggle in the water. 



IMPALING THE WORM. 6/ 

As one moves down stream this bait should 
be kept just beneath the surface of the water, 
from 35 to 40 feet ahead, and it should be 
reeled in occasionally and examined to see that 
it is in good condition. The action of the cur- 
rent and meeting obstructions soon breaks the 
bait into pieces, and, although these pieces 
often secure a fish, it is always best to orna- 
ment the hook with an entire worm. Two 
worms upon the hook, leaving four nice dan- 
gling ends, is generally an irresistiblebait ; while 
in fly fishing two and sometimes three hooks 
are admissible, no more than one hook and 
no 'Afloat" should ever be used in trout fish- 
ing with bait. 

In fishing streams it is advisable to wear a 
pair of light rubber wading-stockings reach- 
ing nearly to the arms. 

The feet should first be covered with a pair 
of light woolen hose, over which draw the 
rubber stockings, and over the rubbers draw a 
pair of heavy woolen hose. Then put on a 
pair of canvas shoes with hob-nailed soles — 
the kind that lace from the toes to the instep. 
Do not wear shoes with holes cut into them 
to let water run out, as sand and pebbles en- 
ter the holes, speedily wear through the rub- 
ber stockings, and blister the feet. Those open 
along the entire top, being secured by the lac- 



68 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

ings, permit water to escape readily, and for- 
eign substances cannot enter. 

A protection to the rubbers against stumps, 
etc., will be found in a pair of overalls, the 
bottom being tied with a cord. The above 
equipment may appear cumbersome, but after 
being worn a few moments the clumsy and 
inconvenient sensation disappears, and the 
angler can cross and recross the brook, step 
into the deeper parts at will, and, above all, 
wade down the middle of the brook fishing in 
all directions. In this position he is " mon- 
arch of all he surveys," and his chances for 
success are greatly enhanced, for he can guide 
his lure ahead down stream into every nook, 
over ripples, behind rocks, under projections 
and logs, and such other places as the fish oc- 
cupy, always having the current at his aid and 
command. Wading, however, must be quiet- 
ly and carefully accomplished, every step 
being taken with the utmost caution, in order 
not to disturb the fish lying beyond. 

It should be noted that trout always lay 
with their head up-stream, the position not 
only being easier, but any signs of an ap- 
proaching meal being thus readily discovered. 

Fishing up-stream is a matter of much diffi- 
culty, especially in a swift current, for not 
alone must one continually struggle against 



WHERE THE TROUT HIDE. 69 

the heavy water, but it is a source of constant 
annoyance to have the bait or flies coming 
directly back to the spot upon which you are 
standing. 

Besides, a trout, when hooked, will invaria- 
bly run down-stream, seeming to know full 
well that it cannot battle successfully against 
both current and the hook. 

The only redeeming feature of up-stream 
fishing is that one makes a rear attack, so to 
speak, upon the enemy, but the reward rarely 
repays the effort. 

A single day's fishing upon a brook will re- 
veal many peculiarities of incident and acci- 
dent, and more information will be gathered 
by this method than from all the books upon 
the subject in existence. 

Two important points should always be 
kept in mind, viz. : keep elaborately quiet, and 
fish every inch of water, especially near both 
shores. 

If one keeps in the middle of the stream 
in wading down, and follows the above advice, 
he will disturb very few fish, for, except occa- 
sionally, the trout are in the deep holes near 
the banks, lying under the shade of a stump, 
rock, or other projection, or just around a 
bend in the stream. 

Ail bait, while in the water, should be kept 



76 THE Practical aNgleR. 

moving. This applies to every lure, for it is 
unnatural, indeed impossible, for any discon- 
nected object to remain perfectly still in a 
current, and the trout are sufficiently wise to 
at once suspect and usually avoid such an in- 
sipid decoy. 

A willow basket to hold fish should be car- 
ried upon the back, held by a shoulder-strap, 
while a gossamer rubber shoulder-cape may be 
tied beneath the basket. It weighs but three 
or four ounces, is inexpensive, and as cloudy 
days not only indicate good fishing as well as 
rain, the cape may prove most welcome when 
most needed. During a rainstorm, however, 
it is just as well to cease fishing, as few are 
caught at such a time. 

These conditions apply to fly fishing, save 
that the rod should be lighter and more pliant, 
as described fully in the chapter on " Fly 
Casting." Two flies are generally attached to 
the leader, which should be six feet in length ; 
but sometimes three flies are attached, and 
hence three trout may be hooked at one cast. 

Three of the little fellows usually found in 
brooks — those up to a pound in weight — can 
readily be handled if one has had experience, 
but if such an event occurs to the novice he 
is advised to hold the rod steady and allow 
the fish to oppose and struggle against each 



WHERE TO CAST FLIES. 71 

other until exhausted, and then, quietly play- 
ing them to shore, " grab short " on the line 
and run them up on dry land. 

If flies are cast with a stiff rod, such as 
is generally used in bait fishing, the gut snell 
to which the fly is attached will be pretty 
sure to break when a " strike " is vigorously 
made, and if it does not break it will be a 
difficult matter to play the fish. The bend in 
a pliant rod will give the fish sufficient play 
for ordinary purposes, except when a heavy 
fish makes a strong rush, when line is given 
from the reel, and, of course, re-wound as the 
fish runs or is brought in. 

Cast your flies directly ahead at first, cov- 
ering your wading-ground, and behind every 
rock, bush, log, stump, or other projection 
upon either shore, and guide them in and out 
with the current until all the water has been 
gone over at least three times. If a fish rises 
and misses the hook, cast over the same spot 
again, for a trout will rise repeatedly unless 
becoming alarmed. If, however, a fish has 
been pricked, any further eff^ort to secure 
it will be wasted. Move along a few steps 
and try another place, making two or three 
casts over every likely spot. 

If you know the fish are lying in any par- 
ticular pool, and do not rise, change your flies. 



72 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

Sometimes it may require several complete 
changes of flies before the right one is found. 
You know the fish are there, and hence it is 
advisable to labor in such places for a time 
rather than to seek others of which you have 
no certain knowledge. 

If, however, half a dozen changes of flies 
are made and no fish caught, give it up and 
move along, as it is doubtful if they will take 
any fly at this time. 

Try the pool again later in the day, or upon 
another day, and eventually you are liable to 
make a heavy " rescue " from the spot where 
you have met many failures. 

When trout have chosen a hole or pool in a 
stream, they will invariably remain in it until 
caught or driven away, and in the latter event 
they are sure to return to the old homestead. 

When your flies first touch the water allow 
them to rest an instant, as the current will 
give them a gentle and natural motion ; then, 
with a light movement of the rod, direct them 
over the spot aimed at. Long casts upon 
brooks are generally useless, and usually im- 
possible because of surrounding impediments, 
and hence a cast of twenty to thirty feet is 
all that will be required. With this amount 
of line any ordinary stream can be thoroughly 
worked with prospects of success. 



FROLICSOME TROUT. 73 

The morning and evening of cloudy, still, 
and warm days are the best for fly casting, for 
winds interfere with casts, and on cold days 
the fish rarely rise to the fly. 

As before stated, trout are usually found in 
the deep holes ; but this is subject to condi- 
tions, and especially so in small and rapid 
streams. Here they are often found in shal- 
low and insignificant spots, where they are 
lying in wait for food. Sometimes they are 
hiding in the crevice of a rock with but two 
or three inches of water above them, and 
some large fish are occasionally enticed from 
such places. 

The angler will occasionally cast his flies in 
pools where trout can be seen continually 
jumping, yet will not take a fly. I have met 
such incidents, and have changed flies twenty 
times, but failed of success. Afterward, when 
relating the circumstance, wise-heads asserted 
that the fish were merely jumping in play — 
just having a little fun. 

I could never believe that trout rise for a 
frolic, and after investigation I found they 
always had their mouths wide open when these 
alleged sportive leaps were made. Hence I 
concluded they were after a small, almost in- 
visible, insect, perhaps the " no-see-'em " 
midge of the Indians. The next time I met 



74 THE PRAC riCAL ANGLER. 

these conditions I was prepared with a few 
very small dun-colored English midge-flies — 
the smallest artificial fly known — and they 
have invariably proved a winning card. 

Sometimes a very large trout will seize the 
smallest fly, and then the fish must be handled 
with infinite care, or it will be lost. These 
midge-hooks are scarcely one-third of an inch 
long, and necessarily their hold is very fragile, 
yet with a very limber rod they will serve the 
purpose admirably. 

There is one important essential in fly fish- 
ing for trout, to wit : never take your eye 
from the flies, for unless the *' strike " is made 
the instant the fish takes the hook, it will cast 
it out and escape. Occasionally, if the line 
is held taut, as it should always be, a 
fish will close his mouth upon the hook at a 
proper angle and fasten himself. If a fish 
rises while the line is slack, there is very little 
chance of its being hooked. 

A landing net of oiled linen, from twelve 
to fourteen inches wide at the mouth, with a 
handle not less than five feet in length, will 
be found essential, not only in landing fish, 
but in feeling the way ahead, and prevent 
roiling the water when the way is felt with 
the feet. It will also serve well as a steadying 



A GOOD LANDING NET. 75 

rod in a strong current, and searches deep 
holes to be avoided. 

The handle of my landing net is made of 
hollow bamboo, into which passes a tube 
made of light tin, one end capped and sol- 
dered. This carries an extra tip, while a cork 
closes the other end. A four-inch spike screws 
into the end of the bamboo handle, and so I 
have a landing net, a wading staff and an 
extra and always dry tip ready for use in case 
of an accident. 

In landing trout, as well as all other fish, 
keep half of the net immersed in the water, 
draw the fish over the net and lift it up 
quickly. Never hold the net above the water, 
and when the fish is near make a reckless dive 
to scoop it in. Such a gymnastical experi- 
ment puts new and astonishing vigor into the 
most exhausted fish, and unless the angler has 
a well-balanced head a serious accident may 
ensue. More trouble arises from this opera- 
tion than in anything else attending angling, 
but if the above manceuvre is slowly and care- 
fully performed both tackle and fish are quite 
secure. 

The reel in fly casting should always be 
placed below the hand-grasp, and underneath 
the rod, because in this position it affords an 
easy balance to the rod and requires the exer- 



76 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

tion of little muscular power in making casts. 
The line is under absolute control, as it passes 
from the reel to the first guide-ring between 
the fingers, and it can thus be tightened in- 
stantly if a vigorous strike is to be made, 
while the strain upon the rod can readily be 
reduced by slipping line from the reel. 

There is one precept which should ever be 
held by the angler, and that is never to kill a 
trout wantonly. The breath of life was never 
instilled into a more beautiful creature or a 
more heroic and honorable adversary, and to 
destroy such a sublime object, save for one 
purpose, is an egregious sin. That sole ex- 
ception is to supply food to the human race. 

If the fish is not intended for this purpose, 
conduct the struggle to the end, prove your 
superior skill, then gently remove the relent- 
less hook from the flesh of your courageous 
antagonist and return it to its element. 

Perform this gracious and righteous deed, 
and then note what a thoroughly contented 
sensation will permeate your system. 



THE BLACK BASS. 

Micropterus Dolomieu, 

The black bass, although not a very hand- 
some fish, is most energetic and courageous, 
and affords the angler no little pleasure and 
excitement, more especially when taken with 
light tackle. It was formerly considered a 
distinctively Western product, but has been 
successfully transplanted, and is now found 
generally dispersed among Eastern waters. 

Its first appearance east of the Alleghenies 
was in 1854, a few having been placed in the 
Potomac River at Cumberland, Md., by Will- 
iam W. Shriver, who brought them from 
Wheeling, W. Va., in a perforated can sunk 
in the water-tank of a locomotive on the Bal- 
timore & Ohio Railroad. 

It is a marvelously productive fish. A few 
young, placed in suitable waters, will, in the 
course of a few years, stock it to repletion. 
It is essentially a good liver, and will greedily 
devour any and every kind of food, while in its 
own waters it " rules the roost." It will attack 

(79) 



8o THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

and fight most any fish it may meet, and a 
pickerel four times the size of the bass will 
speedily succumb in a finny encounter. 

A dozen bass placed in a lake teeming with 
pickerel will generally exterminate the latter. 
Occasionally, however, a few pickerel manage 
to gain a scanty existence for a time, but 
eventually they all run the same course, and 
fall victims to the bronze-back terrier. For 
the bass is a terrier in every sense of the 
word, and when he feels the prick of the hook 
he will fly into the air and shake himself as 
fiercely as does a terrier dog in killing a rat. 
His object in thus leaping is to void the hook, 
and the angler's utmost skill is taxed to pre- 
vent it. At all other times, save when being 
landed, the bass is a steady and strong fighter, 
and a taut line must of necessity be held upon 
him. 

In color the bass is of a dark bronze green, 
varying in shade in different localities, with a 
white belly, and in outline it is short and 
chunky, and very far removed from present- 
ing anything like a graceful appearance. It 
has a very large and very tough mouth, and is 
a very bold biter. It never nibbles at a bait, 
but rushes upon it with the energy of a bull- 
dog, and it will tug and jerk and pull until 
disabled. Even when apparently exhausted. 



THE TRICKY BLACK BASS. 8l 

it will invoke its most deceitful and successful 
trick to secure its freedom. When being 
brought to net, with belly upturned as if 
played out, and when close to the boat, while 
the angler feels he has a " sure thing," the 
seemingly exhausted fish will suddenly trans- 
form into the liveliest sort of a live fish, and 
is sure to make a final tremendous rush for 
liberty. This last "break " must be promptly 
met, or the fish will escape, as indeed he 
usually does ; far more are lost by this closing 
mancEuvre than at any other time after being 
hooked. 

Ichthyologists divide the black bass into 
two species, and give each a distinct name — 
the small mouth and the large mouth — the 
trivial discrimination of a slight difference in 
the position of the eye being the important 
distinction in classification, and in order to 
distinguish the dissimilitude it is necessary to 
invoke the use of the square, the microscope, 
and possibly the sextant. 

However, the angler who may seek diver- 
sion upon the waters instead of among books 
will find his entire attention exacted in hand- 
ling either species, regardless of class distinc- 
tions, and will probably find considerable 
satisfaction and but little difference in the 
game qualities of either. 



82 THE PRACTICAL ANGLEft. 

For bait fishing from a boat use an 8-foot 
rod, multiplying reel, G-size silk line, 3-foot 
leader, and 2/011001^. A live minnow, frog, 
worm, crawfish, grasshopper, or helgramite 
makes good bait, and when these cannot be 
procured, exact imitations of these and vari- 
ous other insects will prove effective. These 
baits are made of soft rubber, accurately col- 
ored, are pliable, with hooks attached, and 
can be purchased at any tackle-shop at a mod- 
erate expense. 

In using a live minnow or small frog, pass 
the hook through both lips, and allow the 
little fellow to swim off some distance from 
the boat. The minnow or frog often carry 
away 15 or 20 yards of line, and, swimming 
about with difficulty, appear as if crippled, 
and thus prove an attractive lure. As, how- 
ever, the line is never taut, it must be closely 
guarded, or few bass will be caught, while 
many frogs and minnows will be plucked off. 

In using other bait — and the bass will take 
most any bait, but like all game fish prefers 
that which is alive — attach a sinker a foot 
above the hook, and heavy enough to keep 
the bait near bottom. When a bite is felt — 
and you will feel it promptly, for the bass 
never bites gingerly — and the hook fastened 
to the mouth by a *' strike," the fish will at 



THE FINAL RUSH OF A BASS. 83 

once proceed to make matters interesting, if 
not exceedingly lively. This skirmish will be 
maintained by the fish until tired, and when 
this condition is reached the angler will stir 
up his antagonist by working the rod right 
and left, forcing the fish to follow until ex- 
hausted, and then bring him to net. Be care- 
ful, however, of the final frantic rush noted 
previously. It is sure to come, just as you 
think the fish is secure, and you must be pre- 
pared to give all the line needed. A little 
more play, a little more worry, and the bronze- 
backed warrior will meet the fate of a hero — the 
victim of a more skilled and powerful strategist. 

If the bass runs under your boat, which is 
often attempted, strike the bottom of the boat 
with the net handle or a stick. The noise, 
sounding like a huge drum in the water, will 
scare the fish away. If he rushes to the op- 
posite side, give him line, carrying the rod 
around the end of the boat. 

In fishing with bait the most likely places 
are around the edges of weeds, stumps, and 
rocks, where the fish generally lie concealed ; 
but, as quickly as a fish is hooked, have your 
boat pulled into clear water, else the fish may 
run into the reeds, or around a stump, the line 
become entangled, and both fish and line be 
sacrificed. 



84 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

It should be remembered that fish always 
take live bait head first, and hence the hook 
should impale the bait in or near the head. 
When the bass discovers a minnow it goes at 
it like a locomotive. It seizes the bait and 
carries it a few feet before the impetus of the 
rush is overcome. Then it stops and begins 
to swallow the minnow. In a few seconds the 
line will begin to move away ; then, and not 
until then, '^ strike " and fasten the hook. If 
a " strike " is made the instant the first heavy 
jerk is felt, the hook will be pulled away from 
the mouth of the bass. The minnow should 
be kept midway in the water, as this is its 
natural position ; but crawfish live on the 
bottom, and should be kept there. 

A light, pliant rod, six-foot gut leader, and 
two or three large, bright flies are requisite in 
fly fishing for bass. Keep your boat away, 
and cast toward shore, around rocks, stumps, 
etc. If the bass do not rise, let your flies 
sink, and give them an occasional short jerk, 
until close to the boat, when you will retrieve 
them and make another cast. The proper 
flies, in endless variety, can be had at any of 
the tackle-stores by merely asking for bass 
flies. Among the most popular are the " Fur- 
gerson," '' Red Ibis," " Henshall," " Seth 
Green," " Oriole," *' Lord Baltimore," '' Pro- 



GOOD BASS FLIES. '8$ 

fessor/* " Grizzly King," '' Montreal," " Coach- 
man," " Brown Hackle," and " Cheney," tied 
upon Nos. I or 2 hooks. 

These are all large, showy, and gaudy flies, 
and resemble nothing else upon earth. They 
are simply a mass of gay colors, and why the 
bass will attack and attempt to bolt them can- 
not be conjectured ; but they do, and with great 
vigor and courage. Perhaps, like the legend- 
ary red rag flaunted before a bull, the gay fly 
provokes their resentment, and they rush upon 
it in exasperation. Three flies are usually at- 
tached to the leader, about eighteen inches 
apart, the brightest and gaudiest being the 
*' dropper," or the one nearest to the rod. 

The most essential feature in fly casting for 
bass, as well as for all other fish, is to main- 
tain a rigid line, for very often a fish will hook 
itself that would escape being fastened if the 
line were slack. Besides, it would be a matter 
of difficulty to hook a fish effectually, as much 
of the effort in " striking " would be exhausted 
in taking up the slack line before the force 
of the "strike" would take effect upon the 
hook. 

The bass does not by any means attack the 
fly with the freedom of the trout, for, although 
both are bottom feeders, the latter is a far 
more free and brazen surface feeder. Both 



86 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

are naturally afraid of the angler, and un- 
questionably for very good reasons. 

If you were a two-pound fish, snugly en- 
sconced in a quiet, retired spot, and a two- 
hundred-pound monster, just one hundred 
times larger than yourself, should loom into 
sight and begin to flay the water with an im- 
mense log right over your sequestered nook, 
what would you do ? 

It takes no little courage to attack a morsel 
of food under such a frowning danger, and 
where a member of the human race would 
" get up and dust," a bass will heroically take 
his chances and rush like a tiger at the mouth- 
ful of food. 

Occasionally a bass takes the fly gingerly, 
rising from below and seizing the hook, while 
but the slightest ripple is made in the water ; 
at other times a vicious rush occurs. In 
either case the " strike " must be made in- 
stantly, else the fish will quickly eject the fly. 
If the flies are sunk beneath the water, ** strike " 
the instant the lightest touch is noted. 

When a bass is hooked, play it upon the rod 
until exhausted ; that is, allow the pull of the 
fish to be continuous upon the rod, holding 
the tool up straight. This keeps a bend in 
the rod, which gives and takes with every 
movement of the fish, save when it pulls too 



TROLLING FOR BASS. 87 

hard, when line is given inch by inch from the 
reel. 

Don't hurry the bass ; let it tug, and pull, 
and skirmish until worn out. You can stand 
it as well as the fish. When it breaks water 
(leaps into the air), drop the tip of the rod, 
thus giving slack line ; but the instant the 
fish drops into the water raise your rod and 
tighten the line. If your line is held taut 
when the bass breaks, the fish will throw its 
full weight on the line, and is liable to smash 
something. This feat is accomplished by the 
black bass with no little skill and agility, and 
with the most profound success, for nine 
times out of ten it escapes unless ** headed 
off " by the giving of slack line in the " nick 
of time." 

Trolling with a No. 4 feathered spoon or 
artificial flies often lures many bass to their 
end, the latter being a particularly attractive 
bait in large waters. From 30 to 60 feet of 
line are trailed behind the boat, a stiff, short 
rod and a multiplying reel being in hand. 
The boatman pulls slowly, and, a light sinker 
being used, the glittering spoon twirls near 
the surface of the water, and, being kept 
moving, attracts the attention of the fish, 
which rushes at the lure with tremendous 
force, seizes the decoy, and inevitably impales 



88 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

one of the three hooks in its mouth. Few 
fish are ever lost by this method, and it proves 
particularly successful because the boat is 
constantly moving and hence more likely to 
find the feeding-grounds. A ripple upon the 
waters and a cloudy sky overhead will add 
greatly to the chances of a good catch. 

A most excellent method is trolling with 
flies, in the practice of which a nine-foot gut 
leader is used, to which four flies are attached 
two feet apart, using a diverse selection of 
the large flies previously mentioned, and two 
sinkers fastened to the leader — one near the 
end and the other between the two flies 
farthest from the end. The sinkers should be 
sufficiently heavy to keep the flies submerged 
about two feet beneath the top of the water. 
When a bass takes one of the upper hooks 
his gyrations in the water will give a most 
peculiar and alluring action to the other flies, 
and very often two fish will be hooked. 

I remember once at Lake Gogebic, in North- 
ern Michigan, hooking a large bass on my 
upper fly, and playing him until I had hooked 
three more bass, and safely landed all. The 
four fish weighed a trifle over 12 pounds, and I 
had little trouble in handling them, as they 
were contending against each other far more 
than against myself. Under the circumstances, 



THE SPINNING MINNOW. 89 

they were permitted to exhaust themselves in 
a fraternal, but very vigorous, combat before 
being landed. , 

It is essential to possess only the very best 
tackle in bass, as well as all other angling, for 
one can never tell when all its good virtues 
will be called into action. Had the leader 
been weak upon the above occasion, the fish, 
in their mad struggle, would not only have de- 
camped, but would have invoked an immense 
quantity of " hard feelin's." 

Trolling with the minnow is a most effect- 
ive method of taking the bass, it making 
little difference if the minnow be dead or alive. 
The same rod, reel, line, and leader used in 
trolling with the spoon will answer, but a 
No. I or i/o Sproat hook should be used. 
The hook is passed through the lips bottom 
upward, the snell pulled through and the hook 
fastened in the flesh of the minnow beneath 
the dorsal fin — the fin upon the back of all 
fish. A half-ounce sinker is attached to the 
leader three feet from the hook, and ten to 
fifteen yards of line are slowly trailed behind 
the boat. Passing the hook through the lips 
of the minnow and into its back gives a bend 
to its body, and while being drawn through 
the water causes it to spin in the most lively 
manner. 



90 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

Trolling will generally afford the best re- 
sults if the curve of the shore is followed, in 
water from five to twelve feet in depth, or 
around reeds, grasses, rocks, etc. When a 
fish is hooked while trolling it should at 
once be reeled in to within thirty feet of 
the boat, in order that its movements may be 
more thoroughly under control, as a fish at 
the end of a long line cannot possibly be 
properly managed. 

In all kinds of trolling always insert a brass 
swivel between the line and leader, to prevent 
either from twisting and kinking. 

In minnow casting for bass a rod eight feet 
in length, rather stiff, and weighing eight 
ounces, a quadruple-multiplying reel, and the 
finest waterproofed silk line should be used. 
A swivel is fastened to the end of the line 
and the snelled hook attached to the swivel, 
no leader being requisite, while a sinker, from 
one to two ounces in weight, is tied to the 
line just above the swivel. The hook is passed 
through both lips of the minnow, bottom up- 
ward, and the line is reeled up until about 
two feet only hangs from the tip of the rod. 
It is then revolved or swung in a circle above 
the head until proper velocity is reached, when 
an outward inclination of the rod will send 
the bait to a great distance — often over a 
hundred feet. The minnow is allowed to re- 



CASTING THE MINNOW. 9I 

main an instant, when it is slowly reeled until 
it is brought back to hand and the cast re- 
peated. 

This method of bass fishing should be care- 
fully practiced, and especial attention given 
to the control of the reel, the thumb always 
being held against the spool to prevent over- 
running. When a bass takes the minnow 
the angler should always allow at least five 
seconds to pass before striking, in order that 
the bait may be turned by the fish, for min- 
nows are always swallowed head first. This 
process of turning can be readily felt by the 
angler, and a few slight jerks will clearly sig- 
nify what is going on. When the little jerks 
cease, " strike," for the turning process has 
been accomplished, and the head of the min- 
now, as well as the hook, are on their journey 
into bass-land. 

The best conditions of weather for bass 
fishing are a cloudy sky and rippling waters. 
The cloudy sky may be absent, and the sun 
may shine brilliantly, but ripples upon the 
water, or even pronounced waves, are abso- 
lutely essential. It will be time and labor 
wasted to seek bass on still waters. 

During the early morning and late evening 
hours most fish are on a skirmish for proven- 
der, and hence these are the most profitable 
hours to go a-fishing. 



THE MASCALONGE. 

Lucius Masquinongy. 

The mascalonge is the largest and the 
handsomest of the pike family, and is a blood 
relation of the illustrious salmon tribe. It is 
found only in American waters, and when it 
is found the interview is likely to become in- 
delibly impressed upon the memory of the 
interviewer. 

It has been taken measuring six feet in 
length and weighing seventy pounds. In color 
it is of a silvery gray, with a white belly, and 
its back and sides are dotted with brownish 
spots. It has a long, flat head, a very large 
mouth filled to its capacity with long and 
sharp teeth, and by nature it is one of the 
most voracious and vicious fishes that exist. 

It is emphatically the freebooter of our 
fresh waters, and is found in the St. Lawrence 
and Mississippi Rivers, the fresh-water lakes 
of the North, the Eagle Waters of Wisconsin, 
and in many Canadian lakes and rivers. It 
usually lies concealed in the grass at the edge 
of lily-pods and reeds and near inlets, watch- 
(92) 



LEAP OF THE MASCALONGE. 95 

ing for food, and it will attack anything that 
may come in its way. 

A short, heavy rod, a reel with 150 yards 
of strong line, and a No. 8 spoon are the uten- 
sils generally used in trolling for the masca- 
longe. Let out about 50 feet of line and 
direct the spoon around the edge of lily-pods, 
reeds, rocky points, etc., keeping it near the 
top of the water. To one of the hooks attach 
a strip of raw meat half an inch thick and 
four or five inches long, allowing it to trail 
behind the spoon. As a general thing the 
mascalonge will seize the bait and go down to 
swallow it. Do not " strike " at once. 

I lost several fine fish by this process before 
I learned to wait until I felt the fish pull. 
Then I made a hard "strike," fastened the 
hook, and enjoyed " heaps " of fun, although 
not all my fish were saved. No, the masca- 
longe is not secure until he is thoroughly well 
killed. When the fish is hooked, pull for deep 
water and give it room, for in a moment it 
will shoot into the air, shake itself like a tiger 
in a wild effort to cast out the hook, and then, 
falling into the water, it will lay back and pull 
to the limit of its great strength. 

It will struggle, and tear, and jerk, and fight 
until exhausted, and then, when brought to 
boat, if the fish is large, be sure either to 



96 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

shoot it or hit it on the head before gaffing 
and Hfting into the boat. If this is not done 
the fish will hammer around and raise the 
most savage sort of rumpus, mixing up the 
contents of the boat in the wildest confusion, 
not to mention its talented faculty of neatly 
biting off a finger or two, which it will under- 
take to accomplish with neatness and dispatch 
if the opportunity is presented. 

At the Eagle Waters the boatmen have a 
curious habit of pulling the mascalonge to its 
end — that is, when the fish is hooked the boat 
is at once directed away from the reeds and 
shoal water into deep water, and the oars are 
plied very fast, and the fish dragged with open 
mouth until drowned. It thus becomes merely 
a trial of endurance, a case of exceedingly 
hard work and not much sport, while the 
chances are that something will give and the 
fish escape. 

*' Skittering" is a successful method used in 
taking mascalonge, a chub, or other small fish, 
from six to eight inches in length, being 
hooked through the lips, and a short stiff rod 
in the hands of the angler. The boatman 
rows about the edge of weed plots at a distance 
of twenty-five or thirty feet, while the bait is 
tossed upon the water just within the border- 
line of the grasses. It is then manipulated 



A BIG MOUTHFUL. 97 

by little jerks upon the surface, and when at- 
tacked the mascalonge leaves the water, seiz- 
ing the bait as it goes down. The fish is al- 
lowed an instant to turn the bait in order to 
swallow it by the head, and when a pull is 
felt a sharp " strike " fastens the hook, and the 
struggle begins. 

This method is successfully practiced in fish- 
ing for bass, pike, and pickerel. Ringed 
hooks, from Nos. 5 to 8, with a fine copper 
wire snell, should be used in "skittering" for 
mascalonge and pike. 

At Planting Ground Lake, in Wisconsin, dur- 
ing August, 1886, a gentleman from Cam- 
bridge, Mass., was " skittering," and hooked a 
small wall-eyed pike. Before it could be brought 
to boat it was seized by a mascalonge, which 
dragged it down and began to bolt the little 
fish. In a short time the ruction began, and 
after an exciting struggle the big fish was 
killed, the gaff being handled by myself. The 
mascalonge weighed thirty-six pounds and the 
pike five pounds. 

It is difficult to guess what the mascalonge 
will not attack when it is hungry, for, like the 
warrior of old, " it fears no foe," and nothing 
edible can escape its rapacious maw — a duck, a 
rat, a turtle, or one of its own offspring meeting 
with an equally favorable and prompt reception. 



98 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

I have spoken above of the habit this fish 
displays in leaping from the water and shak- 
ing itself while in the air. This was done by 
every mascalonge I took in the Eagle Waters 
of Wisconsin, where, in one day, I landed 
thirteen,weighing from eight to thirty pounds. I 
am advisedjhowever, that the mascalonge of the 
St.Lawrence basin does not exhibit this striking 
peculiarity, and, having never met one in these 
waters, I am unable to assert to the contrary. 

The mascalonge should never be forced or 
hurried after being hooked. If he wants to 
pull and tug, allow him to do so. Let him 
enjoy himself, as you will be doing also, for it 
is his last jubilee. If he goes to the bottom 
and sulks, let him sulk, keeping a taut line. 
A gentle snub may start him, and when he 
starts be ready to reel in. Don't give him 
slack line and permit him to throw out the 
hook — a trick all game fish invariably try. 

When a mascalonge first seizes the hook it 
will feel as if you had struck a log. Let out 
a yard or two of line carefully. Then '' strike " 
sharply, and after a strong rush the fish will 
allow you to tow him along meekly for a little 
while. Then he will try to overrun the line, 
in which event reel in promptly. Don't allow 
any slack in the line under any circum- 
stances. 



SHOOTING THE MASCALONGE. 99 

Your boatman will know that he must con- 
stantly row while a fish is on the hook, but 
row slowly, and he will also know that when 
a mascalonge is being landed it must never 
be allowed to touch the boat or oar until it is 
killed. The moment this fish touches the 
boat, although seemingly exhausted, it will 
instantly revive and make a terrific and gen- 
erally successful plunge for liberty and the 
pursuit of other fish. 

There is one method of killing this noble 
fish, little pursued, yet offering an opportunity 
for the display of caution, patience, and 
skill with the rifle rarely seen. The sports- 
man seeks a comfortable nook on the limb of 
a tree, overhanging or near by favorite waters, 
and waits sometimes for hours until one of 
the big fellows slowly rolls up to the surfi§ce 
to sun himself. Only the largest of the spe- 
cies practice this pastime, and the incident 
requires but a second, during which period 
the fatal bullet must speed unerringly to its 
mark or the opportunity is lost. 

The mascalonge can be taken at any time 
after the ice leaves, but the months of May, 
June, and September are the most favorable — 
at least the best fish are taken during those 
months. The flesh is white and hard, and one 
of the very best to grace the table. 



THE SALMON. 
Salmo salar. 

This stately fish, the representative game 
fish of Europe and America, is found only in 
the rivers of the Atlantic coast north of the 
State of Maine, and is not plentiful even 
there. 

It has a bluish back, dull, silvery sides, and 
a whitish belly, and is captured solely with 
the artificial fly. It has often been said and 
printed that the salmon will take no bait but 
the fly ; but this is an error, as it will readily 
" nab " most any bait. The live and artificial 
nffcnow, the glittering spoon and the meek 
and lively worm often prove a deadly lure. 
However, it is not considered sportsmanlike 
to make use of these baits, and hence nothing 
but the fly is now utilized in salmon waters. 

These waters, too, are operated upon solely 
by the owners and their friends, by which is 
meant that nearly all the salmon streams, 
especially those lying in Canada and the mari- 
time provinces, are leased at a heavy expense 
by admirers of the sport. 

(lOO) 



THE KING 01? THE WATERS. IO3 

Taking salmon with the fly is the super- 
lative of angling, and those who have an op- 
portunity to enjoy it, and are unacquainted 
with the art, cannot possibly do better than 
to carefully digest '' The American Salmon 
Fisherman," by Henry P. Wells, and "The 
Salmon Fisher," by Charles Hallock. 

It will require more than an afternoon's 
practice to become a salmon angler, and I do 
not believe there are twenty men in this coun- 
try who may justly be called experts in this 
superb art, although there are plenty whose 
experience enables them to emerge safely 
from such an encounter. 

Of all the mysteries and the beauties of an 
angler's existence, that appertaining to the 
hooking, the handling, and the landing of the 
stately and puissant salmon is by far the most 
difficult to acquire. 

No inhabitant of the waters can be com- 
pared to this fish in strategic and game qual- 
ities, save the brook trout, and that is simply 
an infantile salmon. Magnify the skill re- 
quired to surmount the half-pound little " sal- 
mon of the fountain " to the same fish weighing 
25 pounds, and a distant idea may be had of 
the excitement afforded and the skill required 
in struggling with and overcoming the bigger 
trout. 



104 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

Hallock says : *' No fish that swims is the 
peer of the salmon, and no angling experience 
or pastime carries with it the exciting epi- 
sodes, aspects, and vicissitudes of salmon fish- 
ing. The tarpum is a John L. Sullivan among 
fishes, a slugger and a smasher of lines and 
hooks, filled with ponderosity, brute force, 
and violence ; he is a runaway horse with the 
bits in his mouth ; a tearing toros of the bull- 
ring. As for striped-bass fishing, it is a glow- 
ing theme of the sounding sea and surf — a 
symphony of 'what the wild waves are say- 
ing.' But, bless me ! there are more sides to 
salmon fishing than there are facets to a cut 
gem or patterns to a kaleidoscope." 

It is advisable always to have the best im- 
plements in angling, and especially important 
in salmon fishing. 

A poor rod, like a bad cold, should be got- 
ten rid of as speedily as possible, for both are 
fully capable of leading to dire results. 

The best rod, to my view, for salmon an- 
gling is made of the incomparable split bam- 
boo, in three joints, measuring i6 feet in 
length and weighing i6 ounces — an ounce 
to the foot ; the reel a quadruple multiplier ; 
the line of enameled silk, at least 400 feet in 
length. 

The flies used are the most garish and 



HOW SALMON TAKE A FLY. 10$ 

gaudy obtainable, and just why the wary and 
vigilant salmon will seize such a flaming ob- 
ject, to the utter neglect of those of sombre 
and more natural hue, is an unexplained mys- 
tery. 

Nothing brighter or more tawdry in color 
could be devised than such artificial flies 
as the *' Prince William of Orange," the 
"Butcher," ''Jock Scott," "Silver Doctor," 
or '^ Silver Gray," yet no more promising de- 
coy can be placed before*this noble fish. All 
are a mass of gaudy-colored feathers, in which 
bright yellow predominates, but in the aggre- 
gate totally unlike anything else in existence. 

In placing the line upon the reel great care 
must be exercised to avoid knots and kinks, 
lest it catch in the guide rings when a fish is 
hooked, in which event disaster is sure to 
follow. 

When a salmon takes the hook and starts 
off he is determined to go somewhere in a 
great big hurry, and the fish will get there, 
too, unless the artist at the rod wields it skill- 
fully. At such a juncture a kink in the line 
will facilitate the departure of the fish, as I 
can testify ; for such an event, owing to care- 
lessness, occurred to me on the Godbout 
River, and thereby I lost the heaviest salmon 
I have ever hooked. From that day no line 



106 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

has ever gone upon my reel without the abso- 
lute certainty that no kinks encumbered its 
entire length. 

The salmon does not rush at the fly with 
the wild vigor and courage of the trout, but 
rises slowly, deliberately, and fastidiously, 
opens his mouth to its limit, and just bolts 
the fly as if intent upon gulping everything 
in sight. Sometimes, however, he will merely 
suck in the bait, leaving scarcely a sign above 
the water, yet the merest little boil will attract 
the instant attention of the angler, who knows 
what it indicates. 

When the fish has taken the lure he falls 
down to his couch upon the bottom slowly 
and with profound dignity. 

If the angler " strikes " when the head of 
the fish is seen, as is done in trout fishing, he 
simply pulls the hook away, and the chance, 
like the fish, is "a goner," for the salmon rare- 
ly rises twice to the same fly. 

When the salmon has taken the fly, give 
him room, yielding sufficient line to let him 
reach bottom, as he does head-foremost. 
Then give the tip of the rod a slight jerk up- 
ward — just enough to stiffen the line. This 
will fasten the hook in the mouth, and the 
subsequent proceedings are liable to be ex- 
hilarating, for the fish will rush away down- 



THE LEAP OF THE SALMON. 107 

stream like a race-horse, and strength, skill, 
and eternal vigilance alone will conquer. 

An hour of such a struggle will tire the 
angler and the fish, and when the latter turns 
up his silvery sides he is led to the shore, 
where the " gaff " in the hands of an assistant 
ends the combat. 

The salmon rod, being long and heavy, can- 
not be wielded with one hand, as is done with 
the light fly rod, but both hands and the mus- 
cular system of the entire body are brought 
into play, while the fly is cast with careful 
deliberation. It is kept upon or near the sur- 
face of the water for some little time, and if 
upon a swift river the power of the current 
will move it sufficiently to serve all purposes. 

The leap of the salmon is simply a power- 
ful effort to escape from the danger to life 
which he feels to be impending, and this leap 
is often preceded by what is called ** sulking." 
The fish will lay upon bottom perfectly quiet, 
often for several minutes. During this period 
a taut line must be held, until a slight shake 
or tremor is felt ; then look out for a ** break." 
It is a sign that the fish is about to undertake 
his crowning effort for liberty, and forthwith 
he starts for the surface, and with lightning 
rapidity shoots into the air. 

At this instant, when the fish is above 



I08 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

water, lower the tip of the rod, for if the line 
is held tightly the fish will throw his entire 
weight upon it, and something is sure to break. 
The moment the fish touches the water 
again the tip is raised and the taut line re- 
sumed. A salmon will repeat these leaps, and 
the angler must ever be on the alert to prop- 
erly meet them. 

The salmon is never killed until landed, hit 
upon the head, and laid upon the grass. Often, 
at the very last moment, when seemingly ex- 
hausted, with his white sides turned up and 
about to be struck by the '' gaff," he will sud- 
denly make a terrific rush, and unless the 
angler is prepared for the manoeuvre, the fish 
will escape. More salmon have been lost at 
this crisis than in any other manner. 

The "gaff" is a large, barbless hook much 
like the bent tooth used in a horse-rake. It 
is securely fastened to a handle from four to 
five feet in length, and when salmon and other 
large fish are played to exhaustion they are 
brought within reach of an assistant, who 
places the "• gaff " underneath the fish, and by 
a quick movement impales the hook in the 
flesh and lifts the quarry ashore. It is im- 
portant that the best tempered steel be used 
in the " gaff," else it may give or straighten 
when a heavy fish is lifted, and thus, being 



THE HIGHER GRADE. IO9 

wounded unto death, the fish escapes only to 
die afterward. 

Fly casting for salmon is the same in pro- 
cess as is pursued in trout fishing, save that 
the labor is magnified, and that, while only a 
single hand is required in operating the light 
rod, both hands will be needed in manipulat- 
ing the heavy salmon rod. In this pursuit all 
the paraphernalia, rod, reel, line, and flies, are 
heavier and stronger, as are necessitated by 
the greater size and power of the fish sought. 

The angler acquainted with the methods of 
fly casting for trout will experience little diffi- 
culty in acquiring the art of salmon fishing, 
it being simply an advance to a higher grade 
in the same general division of science, and 
to which a correspondingly greater degree of 
physical labor is attached. In short, salmon 
fishing is hard work. 



THE WININNISH; 

OR, LAND-LOCKED SALMON. . 

This splendid fish, one of the most valiant, 
if not the foremost among finny fighters, is 
found only in Lake St. John and its confluent 
waters, and only during recent years has it 
received the attention its great merits as a 
game fish deserves. 

Lake St. John, a sheet of water averaging 
twenty-five miles in width, lies two hundred 
miles due north from Quebec, and is reached 
by rail from that city. The opening of the 
railroad, and the consequent accessibility of 
the wininnish waters, have brought this su- 
perior fish prominently before the public. 

In form it is exceedingly graceful, silvery 
white in color, with pronounced, irregular 
black spots, in shape like a Maltese cross, on 
head, back, and sides, and rarely exceeds five 
pounds in weight. 

In early June it is taken freely in all the 
large rivers emptying into the lake, but after 
(iio) 




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THE PROPER TACKLE. II3 

July I it is found plentifully at the Dis- 
charge, the outlet of the lake and the source 
of the Saguenay River. 

The trains land the tourist on the western 
shore, from whence, by steamer, it is less than 
a three-hours' pleasant journey, if the waters 
be agreeable, to the Discharge. 

The tackle required for wininnish is the 
same as is used for trout in large waters ; but 
trout flies will not answer, the best being sal- 
mon patterns, very gaudy, tied upon Nos. 4 or 
5 Sproat hooks. The '^Silver Doctor" and 
the " Jock Scott " are among the best ; but 
a fly which I had specially made proved al- 
most infallible. It has a black body silver 
tinselled, gay red hackle, and lemon-yellow 
wings. 

The wininnish, when hooked, will gyrate 
in every direction, and rush into the air re- 
peatedly, shaking itself viciously, often turn- 
ing complete somersaults in wild efforts to rid 
itself of the hook. Its powers of endurance 
are great, and its strength and courage are 
most remarkable. A three-pounder will keep 
the angler on the qui vive for half an hour. 

It exhibits all the finesse of the trout, the 
bull-dog qualities of the black bass, and the 
strength of a fish twice its size, due doubt- 
less to its huge fin system, the caudal fin (the 



114 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

tail) being the broadest found in any fresh- 
water fish. 

It has a rich, pink flesh, by far more palat- 
able than salmon or trout, and is very delicate, 
often becoming flabby and soft within a few 
hours after capture. For this reason it is al- 
most impossible to convey the fish to distant 
points and have it reach its destination in 
good condition. 

The only method by which I have been en- 
abled to bring this delicate fish to New York 
in good form has been through the use of 
" Preservaline," which is sold at all tackle- 
stores. A pound of this white powder was 
dissolved in a pail of water, and the cleaned 
fish were immersed in the solution one hour. 
They were then packed in damp moss without 
ice, and came home in perfect condition. 

In fly casting among the rapids and pools 
of the Grand Discharge, birch-bark canoes 
alone are used, and a good canoeist is essen- 
tial at each end of the craft to guide and con- 
trol it among the turbulent waters. 

Under these circumstances the sport be- 
comes doubly exciting, as the best fish are 
taken at the edge of the most rapid water, 
where they require careful handling, and must 
be played into still water before being landed. 

The average weight of the fish is two 



AN AFTERNOON FISH. II5 

pounds, although they are often taken up to 
four and occasionally five pounds. 

It will readily take bait, for which purpose 
pieces of fresh beef and pork, about an inch 
square, are used, with a No. 2 Sproat hook 
and a short and stiff rod. When thus hooked 
it gives the same battle as when caught on a 
fly ; but, the pliant rod being absent, the sport 
is of much shorter duration, and not by any 
means so enjoyable. 

The accessible rivers emptying into Lake 
St. John, in which this fish is taken, are the 
Metabatchouan, Ouatchouan, and Ashuap- 
mouchan. It would, however, be fruitless to 
visit them at any time except between May 
25 and June 15, the best time being between 
June I and 10. 

Half a dozen wininnish taken during an 
outing will be a good day's sport, and will 
fully satisfy the most enthusiastic angler. 

The man who enjoys his morning's slumber 
can lay abed until noon, and then rise, dine, 
start off and be in *' the nick of time," for the 
afternoon hours, between 2 and 5 o'clock, will 
prove the most successful in fly casting. 

Neither will ''distance lend enchantment," 
for the fish will rise close to the boat or shore 
as readily as if long casts are made. 

The wininnish takes the fly much as does 



Il6 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

the salmon, but with a little more alacrity, 
and, instead of seeking bottom, starts off at 
once upon a wild skirmish. Should it miss 
the fly at the first rise, it will repeat the effort 
time and again until it has secured the subtle 
and tricky prize. 

Morning and evening are the favorable 
hours for bait fishing, and then even the abom- 
inable spoon, the favorite lure of the pike 
family, will often prove killing — it would be 
better to say attractive, for the spoon is kill- 
ing under all conditions ; it is one of the 
deadliest and most merciless devices ever in- 
vented for destroying fish life, and its use is 
justifiable only in the case of the unprincipled 
mascalonge and its flat-nosed relatives. 

I consider the man who takes any of the 
illustrious salmon family with a spoon one 
of the meanest creatures yet invented, and en- 
tirely unfit to mingle in a respectable com- 
munity. 

On an island at the Grand Discharge there 
is a hotel, and about two miles below there is 
a comfortable public camp. 

Near this camp, in fact within a few rods, 
some of the finest pools on the river can be 
fished. 

The boatman or guides are either Montag- 
nais Indians or Canadians, speaking the native 



WHERE TO CATCH THEM. 11/ 

French, and the language of either is an equal- 
ly comprehensive mystery. Occasionally one 
will be found speaking a little English, and it 
will be advisable to secure such a man, if pos- 
sible, for self-evident reasons. 

A peculiar fact regarding the wininnish, and 
which is seen in no other game fish, is its habit 
of swimming near the surface of the water, 
especially below eddies where the white foam 
is formed, exposing its dorsal fin. Dozens of 
big fins can plainly be seen protruding through 
the thick foam, yet comparatively few fish are 
taken here. 

I have labored for hours in such places, and 
have tossed all kinds of flies around and among 
them, but with futile efforts. They seemed 
to be out merely for a little hoHday, and in 
no mood to dally with the fly. 

The best success will be found upon the 
edge of the eddies and in the midst of swift 
and boiling waters. 

The land-locked salmon, found in several of 
the lakes in Maine, is doubtless the wininnish, 
but the latter is not a land-locked salmon, for 
it has open and easy access to the sea by way 
of the Saguenay and St. Lawrence rivers. 
That it makes the journey, as does the sal- 
mon, is unknown, but that the wininnish is a 



Il8 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

stronger and more courageous warrior than 
its land-locked brother is undeniable. 

The structure and fin system of the two 
fish are identical, but a slight variation in color 
has been noted, and this, I believe, is the only 
difference. The wininnish is unquestionably 
a more violent, impetuous, and obstinate 
fighter, which superlative virtues, from an an- 
gler's point of view, may doubtless be attrib- 
uted to the fact that a great portion of its 
existence is passed amidst the most turbulent 
and rebellious waters imaginable. 

The Grand Discharge of Lake St. John is 
some fifteen miles in length, varies in width, 
is studded thickly with huge rocks and little 
islands, and the waters are in a continual state 
of seething and boiling fermentation. A fish 
inhabiting such a home must of necessity be 
possessed of great muscular power ; indeed, 
must eventually become a veritable finny 
athlete, and of a truth such is the wininnish. 

In the Maine lakes in which the land-locked 
salmon is found, the fish attains a much larger 
size than in Lake St. John, having been taken 
weighing twenty pounds, the largest authen- 
ticated wininnish weighing a trifle over eight 
pounds. 

During the past five years I have spent 
many weeks upon the inflowing rivers of Lake 



LAND-LOCKED SALMON. 1 19 

St. John and at the Discharge, and have my- 
self landed and seen many wininnish taken 
with hook and line, as well as in gill-nets, but 
have never seen a specimen reaching five 
pounds in avoirdupois weight. 

A rather interesting law permits the citizens 
of the State of Maine to take land-locked 
salmon from Sebago Lake after February i, 
but non-residents can only fish in those waters 
after May i. As the best time to enjoy this 
sport occurs immediately after the breaking 
up of the ice, it would seem that outsiders are 
placed at a disadvantage ; but the fact is the 
best success is had after May i, because the 
ice rarely disappears previously. 

The salmon are taken with bait, such as 
smelt, shiners, and small herring. The hook 
is passed into the mouth of the bait and 
forced through the side near the tail ; a sinker 
is attached, and the bait is dragged behind the 
boat. By this method of inserting the hook 
the bait is prevented from spinning, but moves 
in a natural manner. The bait should have 
the lips closed and fastened with a thread, 
which is tied to the leader. 

The Fish Commissioners of Maine have 
planted the land-locked salmon in the Andro- 
scoggin or Rangeley lakes, in which water it 
has thrived. I have taken them with salmon- 



I20 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

flies in the rapid water below the middle 
dam, and here their deportment was the exact 
counterpart of the wininnish caught in the 
Grand Discharge. 

The angler casting lure upon these waters, 
the Androscoggin lakes, must discard five- 
ounce rods and similar light paraphernalia, for 
big trout are often taken here —veritable 
speckled brook-trout, up to seven and eight 
pounds in weight. 

They were once the grandest trout-waters 
in the world, but for various well-known rea- 
sons were becoming depleted, when the au- 
thorities began to move by enforcing laws and 
stocking with trout and " land-locks." 

The result is now seen in the record of 
trout and salmon that are annually encouraged 
to " come home with a fellow." 




o § 

^ I 

^ O 
EH 



THE LAKE TROUT. 

Salvelinus namaycush. 

This splendid fish, a close relation to the 
brook trout, is found in many lakes of the 
Northern States, but in larger numbers and 
of greater size in Lakes Superior and Michigan. 
It is also found in the smaller lakes of Canada, 
Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and in dif- 
ferent sections it is known by different names, 
such as lunge, tuladi, lake salmon, lake trout, 
and salmon trout. 

It is of a grayish white color, dappled with 
brown spots, reticulated back, rich pink flesh, 
and weighs from 3 to 25 pounds. The color 
of this fish, however, differs greatly in differ- 
ent localities, varying from a light gray to a 
dark brown, and it is sometimes found with 
the vermilion spots seen in the brook trout, 
a peculiarity exhibited by no other fish in our 
waters. 

It is taken by deep trolling with the spoon 
or spinning minnow, and will occasionally rise 
to the fly. 

(123) 



124 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

A short, stiff rod is necessary, with at least 
lOO yards of line, to which a leader 9 feet 
in length should be attached, and a sinker 
sufficiently heavy to keep the bait within a 
few feet of the bottom. The hook should be 
at least 10 feet from the sinker, or a heavier 
sinker, weighing at least half a pound, should 
be attached to the end of the line, and 10 
feet above the sinker a gut leader with the 
hook should be fastened to the main line. 

Thus, in trolling, the sinker can feel bottom 
while the hooks are trailing in clear water. 

As the salmon trout will take a large bait, 
and plenty of it, trolling with a 6 or 8 inch 
chub or other small fish will prove most at- 
tractive. In using such a bait " gang " hooks 
are requisite. 

A " gang ** hook is composed of three hooks 
— Nos. 4 or 5 for this fish — tied back to back, 
like a grapnel. Three of these " gangs " are 
attached to a heavy gut leader about 2 inches 
apart, and a single hook is fastened about 3 
inches above the '' gang." The single hook 
is passed through the lips of the bait ; one of 
the hooks of a "gang" passes through the 
back ; a bend is then made in the anterior por- 
tion of the bait, and a hook of another "gang" 
passed through near the tail, allowing one 
** gang " to trail behind the bait. Put a brass 



AN ATTRACTIVE LURE. 1 25 

swivel between the main line and the leader, 
and one between the leader and the hooks, to 
prevent the spinning bait from twisting the 
leader and line. 

In slowly trolling the bent bait will spin 
merrily, and prove a most attractive lure for 
this fish, as well as for most other large fish ; 
but the "gang" hook is an example of modern 
barbarity, and should never be used when any 
single hook will serve the purpose. The fish 
that attacks it rarely escapes, for, in its strug- 
gles the hooks are swept about its head pro- 
miscuously, and one or more are pretty sure 
to fasten securely. 

The boat should be kept in motion slowly 
from the moment the line is payed out, or 
else the leader will become twisted around the 
main line. 

Always be careful in attaching bait to keep 
it as natural as possible. Don't bruise, scrape, 
or cut a minnow used for bait in any fishing 
if it can be avoided. A natural appearance of 
the bait will always enhance the chances of 
success. 

The tackle, line, and hooks especially, should 
be strong, as one of these fish weighing 20 
pounds can do some very tall pulling ; but 
it is not much of a strategist, and main strength 
will soon cause it to succumb. 



126 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

The fish of this species caught in the small- 
er lakes invariably exhibit more strength and 
greater powers of endurance than those taken 
in the large lakes, and are a much better fish 
for the table. None of them are very partic- 
ular regarding their food, and will devour any- 
thing and everything that may come in their 
way. This, however, applies as well to nearly 
all of the finny tribe. 




c 
o 






THE PIKE. 

Lucius lucius. 

Built much like his near relative, the mas- 
calonge, but with a dark green back and white 
belly, a powerful jaw, lined with long, sharp 
teeth, the pike is not only a superb game 
fish, but one of the greatest pirates that plows 
fresh waters. He will eat, and continue eat- 
ing, until the last meal will project from his 
mouth ; and even then, should an attractive 
morsel of food appear within range, the pike 
will make an effort to crowd it in. It will 
devour and digest its own weight every day, 
an assertion which, judging the fish from its 
well-known ravenous nature, is doubtless true. 

The pike, like the mascalonge, will lurk in 
the lily-pods and among weeds, perfectly mo- 
tionless, waiting the appearance of its prey ; 
but, unlike the mascalonge, it will venture 
into shallow water or hide beneath projecting 
rocks for the same purpose, and often attacks 
its victim at the very feet of the angler. 

The pike is ripe for capture during May 

(129) 



130 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

and June, and especially so if caught through 
the ice from our northern waters, throughout 
which it is Hberally dispersed. 

It is not at all fastidious, and will take most 
any baited hook; a piece of beef, pork, or 
fish, a frog, mouse, grub, worms, or a bright- 
colored rag will prove equally attractive, but 
the glitter of a heavily-feathered trolling-spoon 
will invariably prove the most effective. 

A spinning bait used in trolling will gen- 
erally prove a killing lure for this ferocious 
fish. A " gang " hook is used, composed of 
an array of hooks fastened to a wire snell. 
The lip of the minnow is fastened to the 
upper hook, the hook being passed through 
both lips; another hook is passed through 
the back beneath the dorsal fin. A slight 
bend or curve is then made in the body of 
the bait, and one of the hooks is passed 
through the tail. A swivel is used between 
the leader and line, and a sinker heavy enough 
to keep the bait just below the surface of the 
water. 

In trolling, the curve in the body of the 
minnow will cause it to spin or revolve in the 
water, and is sure to attract any predatory 
fish in its vicinity. A fish taking this bait 
rarely escapes, unless through breakage in the 
tackle, for the little minnow is completely 



SECRETS OF THE WILDERNESS. I3I 

encircled with hooks, and some of them are 
pretty sure to fasten securely. The struggles 
of a balky fish will only serve to impale more 
hooks, and the capture is a certainty. 

This deadly hook will prove efficacious in 
fishing for black bass, mascalonge, and all 
other fish that take a bait, and has proven 
killing in taking the enormous spotted trout 
of the Rangeley lakes in Maine. Hundreds 
of trout weighing five pounds and upward 
have been caught by this method in the 
waters named • indeed, so deadly is the effect 
of the "gang" hook that in many localities 
laws have been framed prohibiting their use. 

Laws, however, upon the statute-books are 
one thing, and quite another upon the secure 
waters of a lonely wilderness, and hence 
scarcely a day passes that does not see them 
infringed upon with impunity. The fact of 
the matter is that the use of the " gang " 
is simply barbarous, and an angler, whose 
nature should ever be gentle and honorable, 
will never permit himself to make use of it 
any more than he would make use of dyna- 
mite to destroy his finny opponents. Both 
are equally deadly and disgraceful methods of 
catching or killing fish. 

One of the best baits to attract big pike is 
a small rat, hooked through the ear, and al- 



132 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

lowed to swim away some distance. If any 
pike is in the vicinity the rat will promptly be 
seized. 

In trolling for pike the angler will find that 
40 or 50 feet of trailing line will be sufficient, 
and the most promising localities are close to 
the edge of weed patches and lily-pods. Often 
20 feet of line will be enough, as in following 
the curves of the grassy plots short lines can 
be better guided and entanglements in the 
grass avoided. When a fish is hooked, the 
boatman will at once pull away from the grass 
into deep water, and a clear field obtained for 
the ensuing struggle. 

As the pike sometimes reaches a weight 
of fifteen pounds and upward, it is essential 
that strong tackle be used, especially in troll- 
ing or skittering, both methods being much 
in vogue and quite successful. 



THE WALL-EYED PIKE. 
Stizostedium vitreum. 

This fish, found principally in the clear wa- 
ters of our Northwest, is of an olive green 
upon the back, lighter sides, and' white belly. 
It often reaches a weight of ten pounds, and 
is best taken with live bait, such as minnows, 
crawfish, etc., but has occasionally been known 
to attack the artificial fly. 

It will make a splendid battle, however, 
when taken with bait, and if light tackle is 
used great pleasure can be derived in its cap- 
ture. It is a symmetrical fish in outline, but 
the white or dead eye gives it an odd and 
ghostly appearance when caught. 

In fishing for the wall-eyed pike the same 
tackle required in bait-fishing for black bass will 
answer, as well as the same spoon when troll- 
ing ; but a piece of the white meat cut from the 
belly of a fish will probably induce the wall- 
eyed pike to grab a little quicker and a little 
harder than any .other bait. 

(135) 



136 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

A peculiarity of this fish is that it cannot or 
will not make any particular spot its favorite 
haunt, especially in large waters, but is con- 
tinually wandering from place to place, and 
the location where it may be captured one 
day will prove barren the next. Sometimes 
it will be found in deep water, then in shoal 
water, and often at the mouth of a creek. 

During May and June it is often taken in 
great numbers, but later, owing to its nomadic 
habits, it is not so readily found. In portions 
of the country, especially along the Ohio 
River, this fish is known as the salmon ; but 
the name is erroneous, as indeed is that of 
pike, for it is clearly a perch. 



THE PICKEREL. 
Lucius reticulatus. 

In form, but in this respect only, the pick- 
erel much resembles the mascalonge, and is 
generally found in the same waters, as well as in 
grassy streams and ponds and sluggish and 
marshy waters from the Atlantic Ocean to the 
basin of the Mississippi River. 

In color the side tints of the pickerel are 
yellowish, while the back is of a greenish hue. 
It has a long, flat head and an excellent ar- 
ray of teeth, while its digestive qualities are 
simply monumental. 

In ponds and still waters it seldom exceeds 
one pound in weight, and is so interlaced with 
a varied assortment of bones as hardly to be 
worth the trouble of cleaning and cooking. 

In large and running waters it reaches a 
greater weight, having been taken as heavy as 
ten pounds. 

Skittering — a method of catching fish de- 
scribed heretofpre — will often inveigle the 
pickerel, but when the fish attacks the bait, it 

(139) 



146 'THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

must be given line and allowed to carry the 
hook to the bottom, when it proceeds slowly 
to swallow its find. When the fish feels the 
prick of the hook, it naturally makes a 
" break," and it is only necessary to keep a 
taut line, for, after a short pull, it can readily 
be landed. It has a habit of pulling hard but 
sluggishly when hooked, but gives up easily, 
performing its liveliest capers after having 
been rescued from its element. 

It cannot be called a game fish, as it pos- 
sesses no quality whatever meriting the ap- 
pellation, and is only mentioned here because 
of its general distribution in the North, and 
because of its being a member of the Lucius 
family. 

The best method of taking pickerel is by 
trolling with a No. 5 spoon, one of the hooks 
having a small strip of pork attached, which 
trails behind. The fish, when hooked, makes 
a single rush, and can then be pulled in al- 
most as readily as if it were inanimate. It 
has exceedingly sharp teeth and a strong jaw, 
and hence it is advisable to avoid " monkey- 
ing " with its mouth. 

The pond pickerel will sometimes take a 
red fly, and, when thus caught, affords a mo- 
ment's sport, but generally it will take any and 
everything presenting an eatable appearance. 



A CONTEMPTIBLE TRICK. I4I 

The pickerel is a most destructive fish, and 
will devour vast quantities of the spawn and 
fingerlings of its own and other species ; in- 
deed, it is so voracious as to have merited the 
assertion of being " mere machines for the as- 
similation of other organisms." 

Some years ago Lake Umbagog, lying in 
the State of New Hampshire, and the most 
westerly of the series of waters known as the 
Rangeley Lakes, was famous for its large trout. 
It was one of the most prolific trout waters in 
the world, as I can testify, having myself taken 
many heavy fish from its deep holes and at 
the outlet of Rapid River ; but on an evil day 
a half dozen pickerel were placed in the lake, 
and now a trout is rarely to be found. Their 
disappearance is entirely due to the presence 
of the scandalous pickerel, which, it is said, 
were placed in the lake through a spirit of re- 
venge. 



THE YELLOW PERCH. 
Perca flavescens. 

The perch has yellow sides, with vertical 
black or dark bands over the back and down 
the sides, and bright, orange fins. It is found 
throughout the fresh waters of the Northern 
States, takes bait freely, occasionally being in- 
veigled by a bright red or other gaudy fly. 
It will average one pound in weight, although 
in the large lakes it is often found weighing 
two and three pounds. It is a good table- 
fish, and with very light tackle will give some 
little battle, but it is not considered worth any 
special effort to capture. 

It is of interest to know that the yellow 
perch is generally dispersed throughout the 
fresh waters of the world, and in our country 
is frequently found in company with the black 
bass and wall-eyed pike, and, in proportion as 
to size, is equally voracious. 

Its brilliant colors make it an especially de- 
sirable fish in parlor aquariums, where it is 
often seen. 
(142) 



THE MUSIC OF THE REEL. I45 

A very fine line should be used in perch 
fishing, with a sinker attached a few inches 
above the hook sufficiently heavy to keep the 
bait about a foot from bottom. If two hooks 
are used, they should be attached to the leader 
about one foot apart, a small minnow being 
impaled upon the lower and a worm or piece 
of meat to the upper hook. 

The proper size of hook is Nos. 2 or 3. A 
float can be used in perch fishing, as it takes 
bait voraciously, and one needs but sit in his 
boat and keep his eyes on the float. If it goes 
down, it means a fish. However, I do not ad- 
vocate and never use a float, as it is not only 
the laziest kind of angling, but all the pleas- 
ure of feeling the nibble, the bite, and the 
" strike ** are lost. 

The great enjoyment to be derived from 
angling when the rod thrills with a bite and 
at once communicates with every nerve in a 
man's body is all lost in fishing with a float. 
It is far better, far more satisfying and grati- 
fying, to hold the rod in the hand and wait 
for the " music of the reel " or the quiver of a 
nibble, than to sit like a phantom and pa- 
tiently watch the antics of an inanimate, gau- 
dily-painted bite-telephone. 



THE BULLHEAD OR CATFISH. 
Amiurus melas. 

This excellent table-fish is found in every 
portion of the country east of the Rocky 
Mountains, especially in ponds and sluggish 
waters, where it attains a size of from one to 
two pounds. It will take any kind of bait 
sunk to the bottom, and, while it does not dis- 
play much courage in the water, it requires no 
little skill to successfully grapple with it when 
landed. 

This is because it is possessed of sharp 
spines and a very pointed '' horn " projecting 
from each side of the mouth. These, upon 
being rigidly erected, are capable of inflicting 
painful wounds. 

The bullhead or catfish will eat anything, 
and invariably bolts the bait, thus making it 
no light matter to disgorge the hook and 
avoid its pointed and prickly protuberances. 

In the Ohio and Mississippi rivers it often 
exceeds one hundred pounds in weight, and 
in Florida, where its flesh is exceedingly well 
(146) 



GOLUEN FISH EGGS. I47 

flavored, it averages ten pounds in weight. 
It lives on the bottom, and, being a bottom- 
feeder, the bait used must be sunk deep. 

Any hook will serve, and any bait, such as 
a worm, piece of meat, fish, or even a red rag. 
When landed and the hook liberated, the *fish 
may be tossed into a bag, kept a few hours, 
and when home is reached it may be thrown 
into a tub of water, when it will prove as 
lively as ever, its tenacity of life being most 
remarkable. 

The salt-water catfish, found on the Atlantic 
coast from Hatteras to Florida, weighs from 
two to twelve pounds, its play being very 
gamy and much like that of the channel bass, 
described in the chapter on Florida fishing. 
The eggs of this fish are of a beautiful golden 
yellow, of the size of and bunched like grapes, 
and it is asserted that the mother-fish takes 
the eggs in her mouth and protects them thus 
until they are hatched. 

The bullhead is not a game fish, and finds 
place here because of its being the favorite of 
our earliest angling days. 



THE STRIPED BASS. 
Roccus lineatus. 

The bravest, the strongest, the most san- 
guinary of all salt-water fish taken with hook 
and line is the noble striped bass. Particu- 
larly handsome, exceedingly palatable, an aw- 
ful fighter, undaunted in courage, the striped 
bass unquestionably is the gamest among the 
finny denizens of our Atlantic estuaries. 

It has a long and symmetrical body, with a 
light rise or hump above the shoulder, and 
has from six to eight dark brown or black 
lines along each side from head to tail. These 
dark lateral markings form a striking contrast 
to the predominating silvery white body, and 
give the fish a most distinctive identification. 

The head is one-fourth the size of the body, 
well rounded, the mouth very large, with 
powerful jaws, while the eyes are big and bold 
— a perfect index of the character of the fish. 

It is taken along the Atlantic coast from 
the St. Lawrence to the St. John's rivers, and 
often ascends creeks and rivers in quest of 
(148) 




EH 



A GREASY BAIT. 151 

food. These are the smaller fish, in weight 
from one to four pounds ; but large specimens, 
up to monsters of fifty pounds in weight, are 
taken at the outer edge of the surf along rocky 
coasts, where they seek squids, crabs, shrimps, 
and other sources of nourishment. 

It is a most ravenous feeder, and, like all 
of its species, particularly fond of finny food. 
It has been known to gather a large number 
of minnows into a school, slowly drive them 
into a corner, and then pick them up one by 
one with the utmost grace and despatch until 
all have gone past the portals of that ponder- 
ous jaw. 

It requires practice to acquire the art of 
surf-fishing, which is done by standing upon 
the shore, either upon a rock or any favorable 
eminence, and casting the bait into the surf a 
distance of from sixty to one hundred and fifty 
feet. For this purpose the best bait is a slice 
of menhaden, impaled upon the hook and 
made fast by a piece of fine cord. Being soft 
and oily, the bait would be thrown off the 
hook unless tied securely. 

For tackle use an 8-foot, stiff rod, a large 
multiplying reel, and a linen line of 18 strands 
not less than 150 yards in length. The bait 
is cast into the surf, and the angler awaits 
results. If any bass are in the vicinity the 



152 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

oily substance is pretty sure to win attention, 
and the first thing the man on shore knows of 
a bite will be a heavy tug and a most terrific 
whirr and click of his reel. It will be give 
and take until the fish is exhausted, and the 
man nearly so, when the reel brings the fish 
to shore, where an assistant gaffs and lands 
the quarry. 

The first " break " of a bass is simply terrific ; 
he seems to be going somewhere, and going 
in an awful state of precipitation. During 
this rush the rod should be held as perpen- 
dicularly as possible, in order to make the 
fish work hard, for hard work is exhausting. 

The bass has probably observed that it is 
dragging a heavy load, and suddenly shoots in 
an opposite direction, or perhaps directly to- 
ward the angler. Here the reel must promptly 
perform its duty in taking up line. 

Great care must be taken to prevent the 
line from running over and becoming entan- 
gled upon the reel — a danger always imminent 
when a multiplying reel is in use. 

When the fish is going fast and the reel 
humming, a sudden turn of the fish permits 
the " spool " to keep running, the loose line 
passes under and around the *' spool," a tangle 
follows, and the chances are that the quarry 
will escape. To prevent this the thumb is 



WHERE HELP IS NEEDED. 1 53 

used, and the instant the fish ceases to pull 
it is brought hard against the reel and its 
running stopped. The use of the thumbstall, 
which can be had in either worsted, rubber, or 
leather, prevents the thumb from being in- 
jured, or cut by the line, when brought in con- 
tact with the swiftly moving reel. 

The services of a competent assistant or 
guide are absolutely essential, not only in 
securing and affixing bait, selecting **good 
places," and in various other particulars, but 
most important of all in gaffing and landing a 
big fish, for many noble bass are hooked and 
played to exhaustion, only to be given free- 
dom at the last and trying moment — when 
being landed. 

Large striped bass rarely ascend the creeks 
and rivers, and hence ordinary weakfish tackle 
will serve the purpose, while the best bait to 
use is the red or blood-worm, which can be 
purchased at any of the markets at 25 cents 
per dozen. One worm will make two baits, 
impaled upon No. 3 Sproat hooks. 

The hooks should have a strong single-gut 
snell, a brass swivel forming the connection 
between the snell and the 3-foot leader, and a 
half-ounce lead sinker should be attached mid- 
way between the hook and where line and 
leader connect. In using two hooks they 



154 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

should be fastened about i8 inches apart, the 
sinker always above both hooks. 

I mention blood-worms because they have 
always been very successful on my hooks, but 
there are many baits which the striped bass 
will take freely, among them shedder-crab, 
small eels, shrimps, and pieces of raw beef 
and menhaden. 

Some anglers use a heavy leaden running 
sinker, 3 ounces in weight — one with a hole 
through it. Pass the line through the sinker, 
and tie a knot so it will not run over upon 
the leader ; attach the baited hook, and cast to 
a distance, allowing the sinker to rest upon 
the bottom until a bite is felt. 

This is an excellent method in waters where 
a current exists, and such is always the best 
place for bass. The bait will constantly move 
in the current, the line runs freely through 
the sinker, and the slightest nibble will be felt 
instantly. In the rivers striped bass are on a 
bottom skirmish for food, especially small 
crabs, and hence this method is quite success- 
ful, yet the angler may consider himself for- 
tunate if he does not catch five eels to every 
bass. 

In still fishing the chances are enhanced by 
attaching two, sometimes three, baited hooks 
to the leader ; but this often proves annoying. 



DODGING FISH HOOKS. 1 55 

especially when a fish has taken the lower 
bait, and when landing you are striving to 
save the fish and at the same time dodging an 
array of reckless hooks that are pretty sure 
to fasten themselves to the anchor rope or 
something else. For this reason I use but 
a single hook in any kind of bottom fish- 
ing. 

A rising tide is invariably the best time for 
still fishing, and when it is at the flood this 
noble fish will take the fly with avidity, and 
fight like a tiger. 

The best flies to use are those of brightest 
colors, and of the size used in fishing for black 
bass. Bright red, red and yellow, green and 
white, and red and white will give the best 
results, and often better success will be had 
by allowing the fly to sink a foot or two be- 
neath the waters, and giving it short jerks. 
Along the edge of shore and over flats that 
the flood has covered are the proper places to 
cast flies for striped bass, as they will rarely 
be taken by this method in deep waters. 

The striped bass will live in either fresh or 
salt water, and spawn in both, and of course 
is taken in both. 

It is a marvelously productive fish, more 
than half a million eggs having been found in 
a female of fair size ; while the young develop 



156 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

speedily, yet in comparison with other fish 
the number caught is surprisingly small. 

They are in season pretty much all the year, 
and are generally found in the markets, be- 
cause their flesh is always solid and finely fla- 
vored. During the months of August, Sep- 
tember, and October they are taken in all the 
bays, creeks, and rivers along the coast, and 
in October and November, along with the first 
wintry frost, trolling will prove successful. 

At any of the boat-houses between 86th 
Street and 125th Street, along the East 
River, in New York, good boats and trust- 
worthy boatmen and bait can be had at mod- 
erate prices, and a day's trolling will result in 
some excellent sport. 

A No. 4 spoon is generally used, but this 
bait will prove far more effective if a strip of 
beef or a fat worm is attached to one of the 
hooks and allowed to follow the trail of the 
spoon. 

Twenty-five yards of trailing-line will be 
found sufficient, with a sinker heavy enough 
to keep the bait from one to two feet be- 
neath the surface of the water. Some splen- 
did fish are taken in trolling about the up- 
per end of Blackwell's Island and in Hell 
Gate, but a good boatman is necessary — one 



A COUNTERFEIT BASS. 1 5/ 

who understands the tides, and especially the 
currents and eddies, in the vicinity. 

A fish closely resembling the striped bass 
is found in our western lakes and rivers, and 
is locally called the white bass. It feeds upon 
minnows, takes bait with avidity, is a good 
fighter, and rarely exceeds three pounds in 
weight. This fish is often mistaken for the 
striped bass, and indeed it can scarcely be 
distinguished from its illustrious and greater 
counterpart ; but it does not even remotely 
compare in game qualities with the striped 
bass of our salt waters. 



THE WEAKFISH. 

Cynoscion regale. 

Perhaps the handsomest fish taken in our 
salt waters with hook and line is the sque- 
teague, known at different localities along the 
Atlantic coast as " Yellow Fins," " Drum- 
mers," " Weakfish," and " Trout." It is ut- 
terly impossible to describe the beautiful vari- 
egated colors seen in the weakfish when lifted 
from the water, the tints of green, yellow, and 
purple blending, vanishing, and reappearing 
continuously, while a vermilion hue will be 
dancing along the lateral line and pearly-sil- 
ver shadows about the back and head. 

It has a white belly, a sharp and long head, 
a big mouth with sharp teeth in the upper 
jaw. It is a member of the drum family, a 
rapid swimmer, and a surface feeder. 

The striped bass, like Sothern's famous bird 
of a feather, " flocks all alone by itself "; but 
the weakfish rambles in vast schools, and is 
taken by market fishermen in great numbers, a 
single catch of 250,000 pounds being on record. 
These immense schools, however, are com- 
(158) 



A FINE GAME FISH. l6l 

posed of the smaller fish, rarely exceeding two 
pounds in weight, and averaging one pound. 
As the weakfish grows larger it will form into 
small coteries, and go on foraging expeditions ; 
and these big fellows, in this vicinity, are 
called "tide runners," and have been taken 
up to ten pounds in weight. 

It is found along our coast from Hatteras 
north in abundance from June to September, 
and when fresh from the water is a superb 
pan-fish, but in a very short time the flesh be- 
comes soft and flabby and loses its flavor. 

The angler will find more sport in taking 
the squeteague than in any other of our salt- 
water fish, but because of the great numbers 
taken its value as a game fish does not seem 
to be appreciated. 

It is emphatically a light-tackle fish, and 
never " monkeys " with a bait, but makes a 
rush, a mighty grab, a powerful tug, and for a 
short time struggles with all the energy and 
strategy of the brook trout ; but its play is 
not of long duration and it soon becomes ex- 
hausted. 

A light, pliant rod is doubly essential, as 
the weakfish has a soft and very tender 
mouth, and, unless handled with great care, 
the hook will tear from the flesh and the fish 
escape. 



l62 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

I have had a bamboo rod made especially 
for this fish, eight feet long, five ounces in 
weight, and in two joints. It is very pliant, 
plays the fish gingerly, and has proven " the 
very ticket." I use a fine linen line, as salt 
water plays havoc with the silk line, a three- 
foot gut leader, No. 2/0 Sproat hook, and a 
light sinker, never over one-half ounce in 
weight. This keeps the bait near the surface, 
where the weakfish are mostly taken. 

The very best bait to use is the white meat 
of shedder-crab, attached to the hook in small 
pieces about an inch in diameter ; but shrimps, 
clams, menhaden, and often a piece of beef or 
pork will entice the *' yellow fins." 

Allow the tide to carry the line thirty or 
forty feet from the boat, and then reel it in a 
yard at a time, repeating the process, but al- 
ways keeping the bait near the surface. 

When a weakfish bites, you will know it 
right away. Give it room, for its first dash is 
vigorous, and it may carry off ten or fifteen 
yards of line. It bites with such energy that 
it is quite sure to hook itself, and by giving it 
line promptly, but not a slack line, the chances 
of the flesh being torn by the hook are neces- 
sarily lessened. 

Here, and in all similar cases, the value of 
the light and pliant rod is self-evident. It 



LITTLE FRY AND BIG FISH. 163 

gives and takes with the fish, while a rush or 
inshoot can be controlled readily from the reel. 

As the weakfish come in with the tide, the 
most favorable time is when the water is ris- 
ing, and the most favorable place to cast an- 
chor is at the outer edge of an oyster-bed. 

For " tide-runners," fish along the edges of 
channels and tide-races, in deep water, where 
rocks and sand shelves form ledges. Here the 
little fry congregate for security, and are 
sought by the big and hungry weakfish. Use 
a two-ounce sinker, and fish deep, anchoring 
above the shelf in shoal water. 

Charles Hallock, that most accomplished 
sportsman, says : " But there is another mode, 
still, of taking weakfish, of which, verily, many 
an old fisherman wotteth not. Attention, all ! 
Take a * cat-rigged ' boat, a craft with main- 
sail only and mast stepped well forward, one 
that works quickly, for quick work is required, 
and go to Fire Island Inlet at half ebb. At 
half ebb, or when the tide is running out like 
a mill-race, is the only time to take them. 
Should you attempt the experiment on the 
flood, you would lose your boat and your life. 
Let there be a stiff quartering breeze, and 
now, with a steady helm and a good rap full, 
bear right down on the beach, mounting the 
very crest of the waves that in ten seconds 



164 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

more will break into shivers on the sand. 
Keep a quick eye, a steady nerve, and a ready 
hand. You will take the edge of the swift 
current where it pours out of the inlet. Fear 
not the mounting * combers ' or the breaking 
foam ; the tide will bear you back and keep 
you off the shingle. Right here at the mouth 
of the inlet the action of the tide is constantly 
washing out the sand, and as it is borne down 
on the current, it presently sinks by its own 
specific gravity and gradually piles up until it 
forms a little ledge a foot high or more, just 
as the driving snow in winter is borne over the 
crest of a drift until it forms a counter-scarp, 
with an apron hanging over the abrupt and 
perpendicular verge. Right under the edge 
of this ledge the small fry congregate and the 
* tide-runners * forage for food. Here throw 
your * squid.* Just now is the critical instant. 
In two seconds you will either be pounding 
on the beach or surging down on the impetu- 
ous current of the strong ebb tide. The 
breeze is blowing fresh. Up mounts your 
boat on the glassy billow, whose crest is foam- 
ing just two rods in front. A false move now 
is ruinous. Ready about, hard down your 
helm ! Now ! while she shakes, toss your 
' squid * into the deep, green brine. There ! 
you have him ! Keep her away and haul in 
lively. Hurrah ! a four-pounder ! " 



THE BLUEFISH. 

Pomatomus Saltatrix, 

Among carnivorous fish the bluefish easily 
takes rank as one of the most savage and vo- 
racious. In this respect it is a perfect fiend, 
and long after its appetite has been satiated 
it will pursue and destroy its finny brethren, 
evidently out of unadulterated " cussedness." 
It will run e7i masse into great schools of fat 
and oily moss-bunkers, cutting right and left 
with its pointed teeth, taking from each vic- 
tim but a single round bite, and leaving the 
waters strewn with mutilated bodies. 

The path of the bluefish is thus exposed 
to the fishermen, who note the presence of 
the gulls feeding upon floating bodies of the 
dead 'bunkers, and preparations are at once 
made to " rake them in." 

Armed as the bluefish is with the sharpest 
teeth, and with a jaw of tremendous strength, 
it can and does bite with frightful effect, and 
when caught and landed great care must be 
exercised lest 'the jaws close upon a finger. 

(167) 



l68 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

It is the wickedest, most vicious and un- 
civilized fish that swims, and one of the juici- 
est and most palatable of table-fish. 

It has a greenish-white belly, deepening 
into a steel blue toward the back, has very 
small fins, a large head, and a most symmetri- 
cal, rakish body, and it is found along portions 
of our entire Atlantic coast during all seasons 
of the year. 

Trolling from a yacht, with a " squid " for 
bait, affords great pleasure. The " squid " is 
a bone, ivory, or white metal bait from three 
to five inches long, with a stout hook impaled, 
and from twenty to fifty yards of linen line 
are trailed. A leader, two feet in length, made 
of copper wire, should intervene between the 
hook and line, and a swivel between the line 
and the leader. Unless the wire leader is em- 
ployed, the first bluefish hooked will promptly 
bite the line and carry off the hook. A pair 
of heavy woolen gloves should be worn, as 
the fish is an awful fighter, and can pull with 
such vigor as will readily cause the line to cut 
to the bone. 

It is advisable always to fasten the end of 
the line to the boat when trolling with a 
hand-line, in order that it may not be lost 
should it slip from the grasp. 

When the bluefish strikes the hook he does 



THE BULL-DOG AMONG FISH. 169 

it with awful force, and fights with a fierce- 
ness unequalled by any of the finny tribe. 
He exhibits the courage, strength, and devil- 
try of a wild tiger, running deep, breaking 
water, rushing from side to side, and always 
pulling and jerking with his entire energy. 
Sometimes he will make a wild break, start 
off as if shot from a cannon, and try to over- 
run the hook. 

" Chumming " is usually the most successful 
method of luring these pirates of the sea, and 
simply means feeding the waters with pieces 
of cut-up menhaden, the oil from which floats 
upon the surface and attracts the bluefish 
from all directions. It is a disagreeable and 
dirty process, but the skipper will perform 
it with grace, and the result will prove its 
utility. 

A yacht, with skipper, can be engaged at 
any of the towns on the south shore of Long 
Island at from $5 to $10 per day, and the 
skipper will furnish menhaden for ** chum- 
ming" if notified in advance. 

When " chumming," either a " squid " or a 
piece of menhaden may be used as bait, and 
trailed in the line of the oily streak upon the 
surface. 

The best enjoyment in bluefishing may be 
had by using an eight-foot stiff rod, a multi- 



I/O THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

plying reel, with one hundred yards of line, 
and a piece of menhaden fastened (tied) to the 
hook. When the fish bites he will make a ter- 
rific rush, throwing himself out of the water, 
often turning a complete somersault. It will 
tear about in the most riotous manner, and tug, 
and pull, and skirmish until lifted into the 
boat, and then it will keep up the wildest sort 
of a racket, a regular war-dance, until hit in the 
head and permanently soothed. 

A profitable method of "chumming" is to 
go to Fire Island inlet, engage a row-boat, and 
cast anchor in the inlet on a rising tide. Cut 
up and toss the small pieces of menhaden 
into the strong current, following with the 
hook baited with the same oily substance. 
Pretty soon you will have as much excitement 
as you care to endure, avoiding the continu 
ous effort to keep upon your feet in a yacht, 
and giving all your attention where it will be 
required — to the bull-dog at the other end of 
your line. For still fishing, "chumming" at 
Fire Island inlet affords more sport than can 
be derived with hook and line along our en- 
tire coast, for it will tax all the angler's skill 
to struggle with and safely land a ten-pounder, 
while with the hand-line it becomes principally 
a matter of tug at both ends. 

If a yacht is employed, unless you are a 



HOW TO GET SEASICK. 171 

good sailor, an exceedingly good one at that, 
do not venture outside upon the ocean, else 
you are pretty sure to undergo the most live- 
ly attack of seasickness, which is nowhere 
bred with such promptness as in a cat-rigged 
boat. If you can stand it, however, the sport 
outside is superb, as the fish run larger and 
the battle becomes correspondingly gayer. 

The bluefish appears in our waters about 
the first of June, coming from the South, 
where the winter months are passed. The 
early fish are usually smaller than those ap- 
pearing in midsummer, averaging 3 pounds 
in weight. They remain until October, when 
they suddenly disappear as if by magic, and 
not another will be found in Northern waters 
until the return of spring. 

During the winter months they are found 
in the rivers and creeks, and off the coast of 
North and South Carolina. 



THE SHEEPSHEAD. 

Archosargus probatocephalus. 

About the ist of June this splendid fish 
makes its appearance in our waters, but is 
rarely found north from the latitude of New 
York. Its flesh is esteemed among the best 
of the finny tribe, while in appearance it is far 
removed from a thing of beauty — indeed, it 
may well be called a homely fish. 

It has a big head, a huge hump on the back, 
arching from the shoulders, and an ugly dor-, 
sal fin extending entirely along its back, which 
the fish can drop into a neatly-fitting groove 
at will. In color it is a brave bronze at the 
top and an equally heroic white on the belly. 
The eye is big and bold and beautiful, and 
the jaws are tremendously powerful — while 
both the roof and floor of its mouth are cov- 
ered with flat, heavy teeth, enabling the fish 
to crush clams and other mollusks readily, its 
favorite food. 

It is covered heavily with scales that rival 
metal polish in brilliancy, and beneath its 
(172) 



THE LITTLE NIBBLE OF A BIG FISH. 1 75 

marvelously beautiful eyes it has reddish- 
tinted cheeks. It is found around shoals and 
old wrecks, and wherever barnacles and shells 
abound, and, baked or boiled, it is one of the 
most delicious fish in existence. 

A nine-foot pliant rod, reel, sinker, fine line 
and gut leader, and No. i Sproat hook is the 
tackle required, and a clam, oyster, mussel, or 
shedder-crab is the best bait. 

It may be added here that the shedder-crab 
is a bait that will be taken by any fish that 
can be caught with hook and line along the 
Atlantic coast. I have sat in a boat and con- 
stantly landed fish with this bait, while others 
fishing the same waters were " kicking like 
steers" because the fish would not touch their 
proffered lure. 

Anchor your boat and drop the hook into 
the water, allowing it to sink close to bottom, 
even resting upon the bottom a moment. 
Then raise and lower it slowly, repeating this 
until a bite is felt. The sheepshead bites gin- 
gerly at first, indeed merely nibbles or gives a 
little jerk, and then you will suddenly feel a 
vigorous pull. Reel in and the fish will slowly 
and quietly come nearly to the top of the wa- 
ter, when — well, be ready to give him line, 
for when he comes within a foot or two of the 
surface he will make a terrific rush for bottom, 



1/6 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

and he will go there, too. He simply can't 
be stopped, and you must be ready to meet 
his run — not much, to be sure, but enough 
to let him feel his native bottom. Then he 
will begin to fight, and keep it up until ex- 
hausted, when he can be brought to net and 
landed. 

As above stated, the sheepshead never 
rushes at its food, never grabs, so to speak, 
but browses and nibbles as if sampling it, and 
hence it will not do to "strike" until the tug 
is felt, showing that the fish has actually taken 
the bait. Then " strike " sharply, and fasten 
the hook. 

The majority of those seeking sheepshead 
use hand-lines ; but rod and reel not only 
afford greater, more extended sport, but ena- 
ble the angler to cast bait farther from his 
boat, with better prospects of success. 



THE KINGFISH. 

Menticerrus nebulosus. 

This is one of the bravest little fighters 
that swims— little, because it rarely exceeds 
five pounds in weight, and gamy enough to 
fully merit the honorable title by which it is 
known — the kingfish. 

It is certainly a remarkably powerful fish, 
will pull and fight like " all possessed," takes 
the bait with a rush and a vicious jerk, and 
when it feels the prick of the hook swims off 
with surprising rapidity. 

It literally " lays low," persistently keeping 
near bottom, and when it can gain no more 
line it will break water, and, falling back, will 
start off on a mad career in a different direc- 
tion or in a circle. 

When finally you have landed the fish, you 
will marvel exceedingly that your valiant an- 
tagonist weighs but a pound or two. 

The kingfish has a long, tapering form, and 
is covered with round scales, the head and 
mouth being small, the latter being beneath 

(179) 



l8o THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

the upper jaw ; or, in other words, it has a flat, 
blunt, big nose covering a very small mouth. 
The back is a dark gray and red, the belly is 
bluish white, and the fins of various tints. 

It is a midsummer fish, and is taken about 
the south shore of Long Island and all along 
the coast of New Jersey. It is rather solitary 
in its habits, feeds on shrimp and shedder- 
crab, and is found on sandy bottoms. It is 
essentially a bottom feeder, and, its small 
mouth being leathery, it rarely escapes when 
once hooked. 

A light, pliant rod and fifty yards of fine 
linen line, a fine gut leader, and a No. i hook 
is the proper tackle. This is a small hook, 
and a correspondingly small piece of the white 
meat of shedder-crab will prove good bait. 

During the months of August and Septem- 
ber kingfish are most likely to be taken, al- 
though they are never found in large num- 
bers ; but when the angler hooks and plays one 
to the end he will probably confess that no 
fish of its inches in salt water equals it in game 
qualities. 



THE SEA-BASS. 
Centropristis striatus. 

This excellent fish, known by at least a 
score of different names, is found along our 
coast from Cape Cod to Florida. It feeds 
upon crabs, shrimp, and Crustacea, and hence 
is caught only near the bottom, never coming 
to the top for bait. 

The color of the sea-bass is a blackish blue, 
while the inside of the mouth is lined through- 
out with a brilliant yellow. It sometimes 
reaches a weight of three pounds, but the 
average will not exceed one pound. It has a 
very large mouth, large fins, and an equally 
large appetite, yet can fight less than any 
other fish taken with hook and line. 

The ordinary flounder will offer more re- 
sistance than this fish, which allows itself to 
be hauled in or up with but little contention. 

In the form of a chowder the hard white 
flesh of the sea-bass is superlatively good — 
good enough for anybody. 

The fish is rarely sought for at present, but 
is occasionally taken about a foot from bot- 
tom, in water twenty or twenty-five feet deep. 

(i8i) 



THE BLACKFISH. 

Hiatula onitis. 

The blackfish, or tautog, is ubiquitous in 
our estuaries, and is often taken from the 
piers in New York. It is a very humble mem- 
ber of the finny tribe, but heroic in its tug 
and pull, probably because of its very large 
and powerful fin system. It has a big head, 
a highly-arched back^ and displays a varying 
shade of gray often pervaded with black. 

It has a big eye, a small mouth, and the 
heaviest coating of tough scales imaginable. 
It sometimes reaches a weight of lo or 12 
pounds, but specimens of this size are found 
only in deep water, the average being about 2 
pounds. The tackle used in angling for weak- 
fish will be about right for blackfish, and shed- 
der-crab, clams, and worms are the best bait. 

A heavy sinker should be used, keeping the 
bait within i or 2 feet from bottom. 

This species cannot be classed among game 
fish, as it never takes bait at the surface of 
the water. 

It comes early, about April i, and remains 
in the vicinity of New York until November. 

(182) 



THE WHITE PERCH. 

Morone Americana. 

The white perch has a stumpy, compressed 
body, is built much like the yellow perch, and 
in color is a bright blue silver. It is equally 
at home in salt or fresh water, rarely exceeds 
I pound in weight, and when taken with a fly 
afTords considerable sport. 

It will take bait freely, the angle-worm be- 
ing by far the best, while crawfish, small min- 
nows, and pieces of meat prove attractive. 

It is found in great numbers in fresh tidal 
rivers, on muddy bottoms, and in low water. 

A short rod and line are used, and 4 or 5 
hooks, fastened to the leader about a foot 
apart. 

It travels in immense schools, and when one 
can drop lure into the herd it is no trouble to 
land as many as are wanted. 

In fresh waters around wrecks and piers, in 
the eddies, and at the edge of currents and 
mouths of streams, a bright fly, with a light 
rod, will afford no little excitement and a 
large array of fish. 

Its habitat is along the Atlantic coast from 
Hatteras to the St. Lawrence River, and in 
the emptying rivers and streams. 

(183) 



FLORIDA FISHING. 

The peninsula of Florida offers greater op- 
portunities for angling than any other region 
in the United States. Nearly all the best fish 
found during the season along the North 
Atlantic coast, such as the striped bass, weak- 
fish, sheepshead, and others, are taken in Flor- 
ida waters, while many never seen in the 
North afford no little excitement to the an- 
gling adventurer. 

The variety of fish is almost endless, and 
their numbers so great that one may feel sure 
of success at most any hour, season, or lo- 
cality. 

In fishing such prolific waters one can never 
count upon the result, and it is easily possible 
to find the lure seized by a shark, a tarpon of 
a hundred pounds in weight, or others still 
heavier. 

The fishing is principally done from a row- 
boat in water from 6 to 15 feet in depth, and 
boats and boatmen can be had at all available 
resorts. 

A short, stiff rod, from 8 to 9 feet in length, 
(184) 



THE MIGHTY TARPON. 1 8/ 

a multiplying reel with loo yards of 13 or 15 
thread linen line, 4/0-ringed Limerick hooks, 
or the size used in fishing for black bass, with 
a heavy sinker will complete the outfit, save 
that a landing-net, a gaff, and a revolver to 
shoot sharks should be in the boat. 

Gut leaders are unnecessary, but a plentiful 
supply of hooks should be kept in the pocket, 
as sharks bite them off continually. 

When snow and ice, abetted occasionally 
by the law, place the fish beyond the reach 
of sportsmen in the Northern States, the 
waters and the climate of Florida are " wide 
open," and the sport at its prime. 

It is extraordinary to note how many old 
acquaintances one will lift from these waters, 
sailing under new names, and it may prove a 
little annoying to be told that the black bass 
is a trout, and that the weakfish is also a trout, 
while the striped bass becomes the rock-fish. 

The heaviest fish taken with hook and line 
is found on the western coast of Florida, and 
the man who may have enjoyed the most thrill- 
ing experiences with all kinds of fish may lose 
his head when he battles with his first Tarpon. 
Its great weight — many of over 100 pounds 
having been taken — its great strength and 
powers of endurance make it one of the most 
difficult fish to capture ; yet when landed it is 



1 88 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

absolutely useless, for its flesh is repugnant to 
the palate. 

It is only within the last few years that the 
tarpon has been considered within the range 
of rod and line. When landed its huge scales 
glisten like burnished silver, and for this rea- 
son it is often called the ** silver king." 

A very strong rod is requisite, about 6 feet 
in length, a reel holding 600 feet of 21-thread 
line, a huge, especially made hook attached 
to a cotton leader, which can be had at the 
tackle-stores, and which is baited with slices 
of fish. This is thrown into the water and al- 
lowed to rest upon the bottom until found by 
the quarry. Sometimes it nestles thus for 
hours without being molested, and at other 
times is at once seized, but not always by a 
tarpon. 

When this fish does take it, a moment is al- 
lowed in which the fish swallows the bait, the 
hook being impaled in the throat. Then it 
starts off on a career of warfare without an 
equal in angling. As neither man nor tackle 
possesses the strength to control such a mon- 
ster, it must be allowed to carry off all the line, 
during which operation the anchor is lifted, 
and when the end is reached the fish will pro- 
ceed to tow the boat and its occupants. 

It will leap from the water continually, will 



THE CHANNEL BASS. 1 89 

rush in all directions, sometimes directly to- 
ward and up to the boat, and when finally ex- 
hausted is gaffed and landed, or killed, a line 
fastened to its jaws and it is towed ashore. 

A relay of tackle should be kept near by, as 
the loss of hook and line will be an ordinary 
event. 

The most important fish found in the wa- 
ters of Florida is the Red Drum, or, as it is bet- 
ter known, the Channel Bass. In color it varies 
from a copper to brownish red, with a white 
belly, thick body, and big head. It has from 
two to six irregular black spots on the tail, 
large scales, and runs in weight from 5 to 40 
pounds. 

It comes into the rivers and bays with the 
tide, from May to November, and is taken 
with mullet bait, a piece of flesh cut from the 
fish of that name. 

The tackle required is the same used in 
striped-bass fishing, save that a heavy sinker 
is needed, and a gut leader is not requisite ; 
indeed, no leader is ever required in Florida 
while bait fishing, the hook being ringed and 
tied directly upon the line. 

The fighting qualities of the Red Drum are 
of the highest standard, and when hooked it 
will rush off like a race-horse, making the 
most persistent struggle, jerking and tugging 



IQO THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

tremendously. It is an honest fighter, how- 
ever, rarely seeking to escape by trickery, and 
the angler needs but to '* hold up his end *' 
to play the fish to exhaustion. 

The Drum can also be taken trolling with a 
spinning bait, and great numbers can be cap- 
tured by attaching mullet bait to a hook, 
standing in the surf, and casting just outside 
of the breakers, a method largely practiced at 
the mouth of the St. John's River. 

It has a very tough mouth, and hence the 
*' strike " should be sharp, but when the hook 
is once fastened it rarely gives way. 

The Salt-water Trout of Florida, sometimes 
called salmon in Southern waters, is a near re- 
lation to the weakfish, but more nearly re- 
sembles the Lake Trout of the Northern States. 
It has a dark, silvery back, growing lighter on 
the sides and white upon the belly, the back 
being covered with dark spots. It has a big 
mouth well furnished with very sharp teeth, 
is a splendid fighter, and its flesh is finely 
flavored. It weighs from two to seven pounds, 
and takes bait at all stages of water, at the 
bottom or near the top. 

If one could be sure of the fish that will 
take his bait, the best tackle for this fine 
fighter would be the same as is used in catch- 



BIG FISTI AND LITTLE FISH. I9I 

ing weakfish ; but in Florida waters particu- 
larly one is just as liable to hook a forty- 
pounder as a two-pounder, and, while strong 
tackle will handle a small fish, light tackle 
would be sacrificed in the obverse case. For 
this reason, it is always best to be strongly 
rigged, as the very uncertainty of the net re- 
sult is a great pleasure in itself. 

The variety of fishes to be taken in Florida 
waters is innumerable, but one habit is pecul- 
iar to all — they will invariably seize mullet 
bait, and hence, when going angling, a supply 
of this commodity is most essential. In a 
day's fishing one may land a dozen warriors, 
every one being of a different species, but all 
" hefty " fighters. 

Among those that are liable to be rescued 
from oblivion are the Red and Black Grouper, 
often weighing twenty pounds ; the Sheeps- 
head ; the Cavalli — strong, active, fighting un- 
til the end, and in weight up to ten pounds ; 
the active Snapper, from two to six pounds ; 
the acrobatic Skip-jack, from three to ten 
pounds, and one of the rarest combatants that 
falls to the angler's rod ; indeed, it seems to 
fight in the air as much as in the water. 

Pickerel and Black Bass, the latter of the 
big-mouth species and big in size, are found 



192 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

in inland waters, as well as Perch and 
Bream. 

For fly fishing in Florida the rod should 
weigh not less than seven ounces, and, as the 
fish are primitive in their tastes, almost any- 
kind of fly will meet their wants. 



ONE HUNDRED HINTS FOR ANGLERS. 

Wet Garments. — Never sit down to rest 
or remain quiet with feet or legs wet. Keep 
the feet and legs wet and in action, thus ward- 
ing off a possible chill. 

Wading-SHOES. — Those made of canvas 
are the best. Leather shoes harden and hurt 
the feet. 

HOB-NAILS. — The bottoms of wading-shoes 
should be filled with malleable iron hob-nails. 
Don't use steel nails, as they quickly become 
smooth as glass. 

Take it EASY.—Don't make hard work of 
fishing. Rest a couple of hours at noon, es- 
pecially if wading. 

Behave well. — The angler is always a 
gentleman — a fact he will never forget when 
strangers are met at angling resorts or upon a 
stream. 

Guides. — When you are in the wilderness 
and have a guide, treat him as your equal, and 
not as a servant. It will pay. 

(195) 



196 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

Hooks. — Be careful to inspect the points 
of your hooks in all kinds of fishing, and see 
that they are sharp and perfect. If the point 
is dull, exchange the hook, or else file to a 
perfect point, for which purpose a fine file 
should always be carried. 

Tackle Metal.— All metal used upon 
tackle should be either of German silver or 
brass, nickel-plated. 

Brightening Spoons. — If your spoons 
lose their brilliancy they can be brightened by 
the use of a little nitrate of mercury, rubbed 
on with a piece of chamois. 

Carrying Nets. — Always carry a mosquito 
net when going fishing. It may be cumber- 
some, but it will prove a source of great com- 
fort at night. 

Buying Tackle.— Buy your fishing-tackle 
from regular tackle dealers. If you purchase 
it at dry-goods, notion, or hardware stores 
you will invariably get worthless trash. 

A Game Fish. — A game fish is a good biter, 
a good fighter, and always good to eat. 

Clear Water. — It is useless to cast flies 
upon muddy waters. 

Night Fishing.— Fish will take a bait or 
fly at night if hungry. 



HINTS FOR ANGLERS. I97 

Bottom Springs.— In fishing lakes en- 
deavor to find a bottom spring. Fish always 
haunt such places. 

Good Fishing Weather.— Cloudy days 
are always the best to go a-fishing. Always 
carry a rubber cape to prevent a ** soaking." 

To Keep Fish Alive.— The best method 
is to carry a net about three feet long, with a 
swell centre, and open at one end. The fish 
are placed in the bag, which is then immersed 
in the water. These nets can be had at any 
tackle store. 

Big Trout.— If fishing with a fly for large 
trout, keep the fly a few inches under water. 
It will often prove most successful. The big 
trout rarely come to the surface for a fly. 

To Fool a Trout.— A wary trout can some- 
times be fooled by this trick : Take a broad 
maple-leaf, and with a knife slit half-way along 
the middle vein ; suspend the hook and worm, 
press the leaf together, and send it down- 
stream, and the trout is pretty sure to seize it. 

Smooth Water. — Perfectly smooth water 
rarely affords successful fly fishing. Sunrise 
and sunset are usually the best hours for any 
kind of fishing, as the fish are then looking 
for food. 



198 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

To Kill Fish.— Always hit a fish upon the 
head, between the eyes, as soon as caught. 
It kills at once, and hardens and preserves 
the flesh. 

Keep Quiet. — Don*t make any more noise 
than possible when fishing. Fish are easily 
scared, and a slight tap on the bottom of a 
boat will send them flying. 

Sight of Fish. — Fish can see in the water, 
and very distinctly, too, but not out of it. 
Their sense of smell is very acute. 

Fishing Position. — Always endeavor to 
fish facing the sun, thus casting your shadow 
backward. Fish are quickly frightened by a 
moving shadow. 

Preserving Worms.— Worms can be kept 
in good condition a long time by placing them 
in wet moss and pouring a pint of milk over 
them daily. 

Good Bait. — Raw beef is a good bait for 
almost any kind of fish. Small mice are good 
bait to catch large trout. Hook through the 
tail and allow the mouse to swim away. 

To Catch Frogs. — A piece of red flannel 
impaled upon the hook will catch all the frogs 
wanted for bait fishing. 



HINTS FOR ANGLERS. I99 

Water-Snakes. — Kill every water-snake 
possible, as they destroy many small fish and 
millions of eggs. 

Sand -Worms. — Sand-worms are a good 
bait for salt water, and are from eight to four- 
teen inches long. Keep them in a box with a 
little damp sand. Put them on the hook so 
they can wriggle freely. 

Keeping Shrimp. — Shrimp can be kept 
alive for some time in a box of wet sawdust. 
Hook them through the body from tail to 
head. 

The Best Bait.— The best general bait 
known is the frisky and meek angle-worm. It 
is found principally in a rich soil, through- 
out the world. 

To GET Angle-worms.— Dissolve two or 
three pounds of salt in a pail of water, and 
sprinkle it liberally over the ground. The 
worms will wriggle out speedily. 

Securing Bait.— Shedder-crab, as well as 
worms, can be bought at any of the markets 
in New York. The soft shell is removed, and 
the meat, which is white, cut into small pieces. 

Keeping Bait Alive.— Frogs, crabs, etc., 
can be kept alive in wet moss. 

To Preserve" Fish.— I have found " Pre- 



2CX) THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

SERVALINE *' a splendid thing to preserve fish. 
Dissolve a pound of it in two gallons of water. 
Allow the cleaned fish to remain in the solu- 
tion an hour or two, and they will keep fresh 
and sweet for many days. It is sold at fifty 
cents per pound. 

Your Tackle. — Own it yourself. Never 
borrow, and never lend. 

Preserving Rods. — Varnish your rods 
slightly in the autumn, and hang them up. 
When dry lay them away on a level surface in 
a cool place. 

Beware of Nails. — Don*t support a rod 
against nails, or lay it upon nail-pegs. They 
rot lines. 

Be Careful. — Always dry and carefully 
clean a good rod, line, and reel after using. 

Unjointing Rods. — Rub a little brown 
soap on the ferules before using, and the rods 
will unjoint readily when desired. 

Loosening Jointed Rods.— The tight- 
ened joints of a rod will loosen readily if held 
for an instant over the heat of a lamp-chimney. 

To Waterproof Lines. — A silk line can 
be made waterproof by thoroughly soaking in 
boiled and strained linseed-oil. Draw through 
a piece of chamois to smoothen the surface. 



HINTS FOR ANGLERS. 201 

Testing Lines. — Always test a line before 
fishing. It is poor policy to give a big fish 
the first chance to break it. 

Fine Lines. — An enameled line is a work 
of art. After being in use all day it should 
be unwound from the reel, drawn between 
flannel, and hung in a dry place over night. 

Reels. — Oil your reels occasionally with a 
few drops of clock-oil. Don't use watch-oil. 

Salmon and Trout Leaders.— Salmon- 
leaders should be nine feet long ; trout-leaders 
six feet. 

Gut for Leaders.— You can buy gut at 
any tackle store, and readily make your own 
leaders. Soak the gut in vinegar for an hour 
or two, and it can be tied easily. 

Colored Leaders. — Those of a mist color, 
or such as are specially dyed to the color of 
the water in which they are used, are the best. 

To Dye Leaders.— In order to dye gut 
leaders to the favorite " mist " color, take one 
drachm of ground logwood and six grains of 
powdered copperas, and boil in one and one- 
half pints of water. Immerse the leaders three 
minutes. 

Sliding Loops. — Leaders for fly casting, 



t^2 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

made with sliding loops, will be found a great 
convenience. 

To Dye Leaders. — Immerse the leaders 
in French writing-ink, allowing it to remain 
one hour. This also gives the favorite " mist " 
colored hue. 

Preparing Leaders.— Carry a little tin 
box holding two pieces of wet felt, between 
which place your gut leaders. They will al- 
ways be in condition to use, and the bends 
and kinks are avoided. 

Color of Snell. — The color of the snell, 
to which hooks are attached, should always 
be of the same color as the leader. 

Angling Literature.— The angler who 
desires to become more proficient in the art, 
and to acquire a profound knowledge of our 
many game fishes, should own and read the 
following books ; they are, combined, an en- 
cyclopedia of fish and fishing: "The Book of 
the Black Bass," by Dr. Jas. A. Henshall ; 
" Fly Rods and Fly Tackle," by Henry P. 
Wells; ''The Salmon Fisher," by Charles Hal- 
lock; "The Scientific Angler," by David Fos- 
ter, and " Fish Hatching and Fish Catching," 
by Hon. Robert B. Roosevelt and Seth Green. 

Trout Flies. — In the spring-time use the 



HINTS FOR ANGLERS. 203 

smallest obtainable flies for trout. The 
" midges " are the best. 

To Protect Artificial Flies.— Dip them 
in kerosene oil and hang up in a dry place. 
Moths will never attack them. 

To Preserve Fly Books.— Have a little 
muslin bag made, into which place your fly 
books. Twist the end and tie tightly, and, 
unless there are moths or moths' eggs already 
among the flies, none will ever get in. 

Moth Preventive.— Sprinkle napthaline 
crystals among the leaves of a fly book, and 
moths will never trouble it. 

Insect Preventive. — Half a pint of tar, 
half a pint of vaseline, half an ounce oil of 
pennyroyal, three drops creosote ; mix while 
hot, allow it to cool, and bottle for future use. 

Insect Preventive. — Two ounces tar and 
three ounces castor-oil, simmered for half an 
hour. Allow it to cool, and when nearly cold 
add one ounce oil of pennyroyal. Bottle for 
future use. 

Insect Preventive. — Three ounces olive- 
oil, two ounces oil of pennyroyal, one ounce 
ammonia, and one ounce glycerine. Mix cold. 

Insect Preventive.— Two ounces pine 



204 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 

tar, two ounces castor-oil, one ounce penny- 
royal. Mix by heating. 

Insect Preventives. — The receipts given 
above are all excellent, and will not injure the 
skin. They should be applied freely and re- 
peatedly to all exposed parts of the person, 
and not washed off until leaving the vicinity 
inhabited by mosquitoes, black flies, and other 
insects. 



THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 



205 



APPROXIMATE WEIGHT OF TROUT AND 
SALMON. 



Length in 
inches. 


Trout. 


Length in 
inches. 


Salmon. 




lbs. 


ozs. 




lbs. 


ozs. 


8 





4 


24 


5 


^% 


9 





4?< 


25 


6 


I>4 


10 





6^ 


26 


6 


I33X 


II 





9 


27 


7 


10^ 


12 





iii< 


28 


8 


8J4 


13 





HJ< 


29 


9 


8 


14 


I 





30 


10 


8 


15 


I 


i>^ 


31 


II 


9^ 


16 


I 


10 


32 


12 


I2>^ 


17 


I 


15 


33 


14 





18 


2 


6 


34 


15 


1% 


19 


2 


I2>^ 


35 


16 


12 


20 


3 


4 


36 


18 


3 


21 


3 


I2>^ 


37 


19 


12 


22 


4 


S% 


38 


21 


6^^ 


23 


4 


isH 


39 


23 


2 


24 


5 


10% 


40 


24 


i5>^ 


25 


6 


5^ 


41 


27 





26 


7 


2>^ 


42 


29 


4 


27 


8 





43 


31 


io>^ 


28 


8 


15 


44 


33 


14 


29 


9 


I43/< 


45 


36 


4 


30 


10 


15 


46 


39 






206 



THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 



LEGAL SEASONS FOR FISHING— 1892. 



Nearly every State in the Union has 
made laws for the protection of fish. The 
fish mentioned below can only be caught dur- 
ing the period named in the various States, 
while taking them in any manner, save with 
hook and hne, is prohibited : 

Brook T-ROvn—Salmo/oniinalis. 



California April i to Oct. 31 

Connecticut. . .April i to July i 

Iowa April I to Oct. 31 

Maine May i to Oct. i 

Manitoba Jan. i to Oct. i 

Massachusetts, Apr. i to Sept. i 
Michigan. . . . May i to Aug. 31 
Minnesota... April i to Sept. 15 

Nevada April i to Oct. i 

N. Brunswick, April i to Sept. 15 
N. Hampshire, A. 15 to Sept 15 
New Jersey. . .April i to July 15 
New York.. .April i to Sept. 30 



N. Carolina. . .Jan. i to Oct. 15 
Nova Scotia, April i to Sept. 30 

Ohio March 14 to Sept. 15 

Ontario, Can., May i to Sept. 15 
Pennsylvania, Apr. 15 to July 15 

P. E. Island Dec. 2 to Oct. 2 

Quebec, Can., Jan. i to Sept. 30 
Rhode Island, Mar. i to Aug. 15 
Utah Ter. . .June 15 to Feb. 15 

Vermont May i to Aug. 31 

W. Virginia. .Jan. 1 to Aug. 31 

Virginia April i to Sept. 15 

Wisconsin . . April 15 to Aug. 31 



SkiMO^—Salmo solar 



California Oct. i to Aug. 31 

Maine April i to Sept. 15 

Massachusetts, May i to July 31 
N. Brunswick, Feb. i to Aug. 15 
Nova Scotia. .Feb. i to Aug. 15 



Ohio March 14 to Sept. 15 

Ontario, Can., May i to Sept. 15 
Pennsylvania, Apr. 15 to July 15 
Quebec, Can . . . May 1 to Sept. i 
Rhode Island, Ap. 15 to July 15 



Land-locked Salmon— .Sa^^c? salar. 



Maine May i to Sept. 30 

Massachusetts, Ap. i to Aug. 30 

Michigan May t to Aug. 30 

N. Hampshire, May i to Sept. 30 

New York April i to Oct. i 

Nova Scotia, April i to Sept. 30 



Ohio March 14 to Sept. 15 

Quebec, Can., Dec. i to Oct. 15 

Vermont May i to Aug. 30 

W. Virginia.. Jan. 1 to Aug. 30 
N. Brunswick, Ap. i to Sept. 15 



THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. 



207 



Lake Trout, or Salmon TttouT—Sa/veh'nus namaycush. 



California April i to Oct. 30 

Iowa May 15 to Oct. 30 

Maine May i to Sept. 30 

Massachusetts, Ap. i to Aug. 30 
N. Hampshire, Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 
New Jersey, March i to Sept. 30 
New York . . .April i to Sept. 30 

WiNINNISH. 

Canada, Quebec Jan. i to Oct. 15 

Bl.ack Bass — Micropterus dolomieuy M. salmoides. 



Ontario, Can., Dec. i to Oct. 30 
Pennsylvania, Jan. i to Sept. 30 
Quebec, Can., Dec. i to Oct. 15 

Vermont May i to Aug. 30 

Wisconsin. ..Jan. 15 to Aug. 30 
N. Brunswick, Ap. i to Sept. 15 



Connecticut, June ii to April 30 

Iowa May 15 to Oct. 30 

Maine July i to March 30 

Massachusetts, July i to Oct. 30 
N. Hampshire, June 15 to May i 
New Jersey. . May 30 to Nov. 30 
New York. ..May 30 to March i 

-Lucius Mascinongy. 



Ontario, Can., June 15 to Ap. 15 
Pennsylvania, June i to Dec, 31 
Quebec, Can., June 15 to April 5 
Rhode Island..July 15 to Mar. i 

Vermont June i to Jan. 31 

Virginia July i to May 15 

Wisconsin May i to Jan. 31 



Mascalonge- 



Quebec, Can., June 15 to Ap. 15 
Wisconsin May i to Jan. 31 



N. Hampshire, June i to Ap. i 
New York. ..May 30 to March i 
Ontario, Can., June 15 to Ap. 15 

■Lucius lucius and L. reticulatus. 



Pike and Pickerel- 



N. Hampshire, June i to Ap. i 
Ontario, Can., May 15 to Ap. 15 
Pennsylvania, June i to Dec. 31 

Pike-Perch, Wall-eyed Pike 



Rhode Island, June i to Mar. 30 
W. Virginia, June 15 to Mar. 30 



-Stizostedion vitreum. 



Iowa .May 15 to Oct, 30 

Manitoba May 16 to April 16 

N. Hampshire, July i to Ap. 30 
New York. ..May 30 to March i 
Ontario, Can., May 15 to Ap. 15 



Pennsylvania, June i to Dec. 31 
Quebec, Can,, May 15 to Ap, 15 

Vermont June i to Jan. 31 

Wisconsin May x to Feb. 28 



Cstabllstied 1830. 



THOMAS J. CONROY, 

MANUFACTURER AND IMPORTER OF 

^ FiSMIIJG * T^AGKLE > 

OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. 

salesroom: 65 FULTON STREET, NEW YORK. 

(Will remove May 1$t to 310 Broadway.) 




Sole maker of the celebrated "Silver King" 
Reels, the strongest and freest run- 
ning Reels ever manufactured. 

New Illustrated Retail Catalogue and Handbook for Sportsmen, con- 
taining Hints and Directions for Fishing and Camming, sent on ^'^'JP^ ^/ 
25 cents. A Cou/>on good /or this amount on the Jirst purchase 0/ %\*00 
or more will be sent with Catalogue. 



o MANY OF THE BEST s 

FISHING AND SHOOTING RESORTS 

IN THE NORTHWEST 

ARE LOCATED ALONG THE LINES OF THE 

CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & 
ST. PAUL RY. 

AND THE 

MILWAUKEE AND NORTHERN RY. 

— IN — 

WISCONSIN, NORTHERN MICHIGAN, IOWA, 
MINNESOTA, AND THE DAKOTAS. 

Full information furnisiied free. All ticket agents in the 
United States and Canada sell tickets via Chicago, Milwaakee 
A St. Paul, and Milwaukee A Northern Railways. 

GEORGE H. HEAFFORD, 

Gen. Pass. Agents Chicago^ III. 





A SPLEQDID UiATGH 



-FOR— 



ANGLERS. 

i$S.76 



. . OR • . 



MADE BY THE AMERICAN (WALTHAM) OR EL- 
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HEAVY CRYSTAL MADE OF SILVERORE, COM- 
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PRACTICAL ELECTRICAL WORKS. 



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etc., who are not yet acquainted with all the uses of the Electric 
Bell. Cloth, price, postpaid 75 ceuts. 

HOW TO MAKE A DYNAMO.-A practical 

treatise for amateurs. Containing numerous illustrations and 
detailed instructions for constructing a small dynamo, to pro- 
duce the electric light. By Alfred Crofts. Bound in cloth ; 
price, postpaid ...75 cents. 

Any of the above works sent postpaid on receipt of price. 

EXCELSIOR PUBLISHING HOUSE, 
29 and 31 Beekman Street, New York, N. Y. 



NEW 

" EXPERT " 



No. 21 



Carries 600 feet of thread 
line. Suitable for 

LAKE OR SALT 

Water Fishing requiring 
a long line. Has 
a detachable 
spool and adjust- 
able cone-bear- 
ings and drag- 





mmm. 



~^ 



These Reels hare an en- 
tirely new device for use 
in casting'or playing a fish, 
allowing the angler to apply 
a drag from the most deli- 
cate friction to a complete 
stop simply by the pressure 
of the thumb npon the 
guard. 



i.F.MEISSEL6ACH&BR0., i 

Manu/acturerss 

Newark, N. J. 

\ 
No. 19 " Expert" Trout 2.% inches (as cut). ■ 
No. 17 ." Bass 3 inches. 



ALL DEALERS HAVE THESE GOODS. 



The Lake Region 

-OK— 

NoitfteiA* Wisconsin * and * Illicnigan. 



•i- 



npHE attention of sportsmen, particularly anglers, is directed to the lake re- 
gion of Northern Wisconsin and Michigan, reached by the Milwaukee, 
Lake Shore & Western Railway. No other section of country offers the 
lover of tlie rod and hook so great a variety of sport. The innumerable lakes 
are teeming with mascalonge, black bass, pike and pickerel, Mackinaw trout 
and land-locked salmon, and the streams with brook trout. 

Below is given % brief mention of a few of the principal fishing resorts. 

THE POPULAR NORTH WOODS SANITARIUM. 

Pnnohin I qUp FTIinh '^'"^ '^^^ ^^ twelve miles distant and 900 feet 
UfUyuDlu LaKu, |lllul(. above the waters of Lake superior. It is fif- 
teen miles long and one and one-half to three miles wide, and is generally 
conceded to afford the best black bass fishing known anywhere. Brook trout 
are found in tributary streams, and at certain seasons of the year very large 
brook trout are caught in the open lake. The Gogebic Hotel and Cottages 
will remain under the management of Geo. P. McAdam,who will furnish firi-t- 
class accommodations for 100 guests. Pine fleet of boats, steam yacht, etc. 

Turin T air DC Wio (Conover Bailroad station.) This popular resort 
1 Will LidlVuby Illbi will continue under the auspices of the Twin 
Lakes Fishing and Hunting Club. It will be open the entire season not only 
to Club members, but, as heretofore, for the entertainment of fishermen and 
their families or those in search of health and recreation. It will, during the 
coming season, be under the management of Geo. P. McAdam, under whose 
management the Gogebic Resort has been for some years so popular. Rates 
for board, etc., will be practically the same as heretofore, viz.: $2-00 per day 
or $10.00 per week ; boats 50 cents per day ; boat and guide $2.50 per day. 
Several splendid lakes are accessible from Twin, viz.: Pioneer, Long, Big 
Sand, and Smoky Lake. 

*** Illustrated guide-book to these splendid waters, with map, sent free 
upon application. 

W. A. CARLETON, General Agent, 

B. J. REYNOLDS, City Passenger Agent, 

208 Clark Street, Chicago, HI. 
C. L. RTDEB, Gen. Pass. Agent, 
Milwaukee, "Wis. 

(See following page.) 



FISH HAUNTED WATERS 

ALONG THE LINE OF THE 

MILWAUKEE, LAKE SHORE AND 
WESTERN RAILWAY. 

4. 

WSTIJP^MUII'T Mim Fine brook trout fishing to be had in various 
nAlCiUOluDEii, mivll. streams, some of them very near the station. 
Hotel accommodations, guides, etc. 

T JIVD VIPTTY TM?QI?DT (State Line Station, Wis.) Headwaters of the 
LAI^D IlE^UA UDOCtlll. Wisconsin River and splendid mascalonge fish- 
ing. Boats and guides are to be had and L. Thomas can accommodate a 
limited number of persons at his house on the west shore of the lake. There 
are many fine camping spots. 

•'ffSni? WSTPR^ " WN Comprises a chain of twenty-seven lakes, 
uAulilj nnluIlO) IIliJi all easily reached by steamer or row-boat 
from Eagle River Railroad Station, and all offer fine sport with mascalonge, 
bass, and pike. Hotels, boats, guides, and steamer at Eagle River Station. 

TUDrC T lin?Q WTQ A. Railroad station in proximity to the southern 
innEiEi LAAEiO, mo. portion of the "Eagle Waters" chain of lakes. 
Hotels, boats, guides, etc. 

TAUlITIWir JIVV WTQ The Milwaukee, Lake Snore & Western 
iVOliinilllA. LAA.D, II 10. Railway traverses the entire Tomahawk 
Lake region, passing directly along the shores of Tomahawk and Kewaquesaga 
Lakes. These, and other lakes in this vicinity, are noted for their fine masca- 
longe and bass fishing. 

TBATTT T \W WTCl is especially noted for the great number and large 
liluUi JuAIVu, IllO. 8ize of the " land-locked salmon " that are taken 
from its waters. Bass are taken in this lake and mascalonge in the surround- 
ing waters. There is a hotel on the west shore of Trout Lake, and boats and 
gulaes can be secured. 

UXIIITTAWTQll DTVCD WICl Connects quite a chain of lakes, including 
AlAlliiUlllOll nilLIl, nlO. Rest, Manitowish, Rice, Alder, and Trout 
Lakes, all of which contain bass, mascalonge, and pike, and some have been 
fished but very little. Boats and guides can be secured at Manitowish Station, 
also at the dam on Rest Lake, seven miles west of Manitowish Station, at 
which place hotel accommodations can also be had. 

TTTDTTI? DTVCD WTQ Also connects quite a system of lakes, including 
iUniLEl miDll, niO. Rice, Echo, Spider, Turtle, Long, and a number 
of others. These lakes have been fished but very little, and some not at all, 
BO far as is known. 

♦*♦ For any additional or detailed information regarding the Lake Re- 
gion, or for copy of Guide-Book, Wisconsin and Michigan Game and Fish 
Laws, etc, address 

W. A. CARLETON, General Agent, 

B. J. REYNOLDS, City Passenger Agent, 

208 Clark Street, Chicago, 111. 
C. L. RYDER, Gen. Pass. Agent, 
Milwaukee, Wis. 

(See precfdin^ page,) 



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EXCELSIOR SELECTIONS.-A collection of 

the most popular and successful Readings and Recitations adapted 
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Price $1.00 

GUNSMITH'S MANUAL.-This work covers dc- 
scriptions of guns and pistols, fitting up a shop, general gunsmithing ; 
taking apart, cleaning, and putting together ; tools required ; how to 
make tools ; the work-bench ; working in iron, steel, copper, brass, 
silver, and wood ; gun-stocks, gun-barrels, tools for breeching guns, 
tools for chambering breech-loading barrels, etc., etc. A handsome 
volume of nearly 400 large pa^es, with numerous engravings, dia- 
grams, and plates. Cloth. Price ^!3.00 

THE STANDARD SIGN WRITER. -This 

book is very generally recognized as the standard work on the subject. 
Its instructions are clear, precise, and practical, and cover just the 
groiud desired by most of the profession. Price ^3.00 

COPLEY'S PLAIN AND ORNAMENTAL 

Alpbabets. — With Examples in every style. Also, the Mechani- 
cal and Analytical Construction of Letters, Figures, and Titles. With 
Designs for Titles, Ciphers, Monograms, Borders, Compasses, Flour- 
ishes, etc., designed as a Text-Book for the use of Draughtsmen, CivU 
Engineers, Surveyors, Architects, Engravers, Designers, Sign Paint- 
ers, Schools, etc. Drawn and arranged by Frederick S. Copley. Large 
quarto, extra cloth. New Edition. Price $3.00 

BOOK OF JAPANESE ORNAMENTA- 

tlon. — A collection of Designs adapted to the use of Decorators, 
Designers, Sign Painters, Silversmiths, and others. It meets the want 
created by the prevailing fashion for "Jap," and will be found highly 
useful for a variety of purposes. The designs are all practical, 
and range from the simplest styles to the most elaborate work. 

Price $a.oo 

BURDETT'S WORLD OF HUMOR.--™' 

novel compilation is made to meet the wants of the many who are 
always searching for the latest and most popular gems of humor. It 
comprises all the best pieces in the different dialects, as foUows : 
Yankee, Irish, French, Dutch, and Negro. Containing 500 pages. 
Bound in cloth, with characteristic design in black and gold stamps. 

Price $1.50 

THE STANDARD HOYLE.-A new and reliable 
authority on all games now played in the United States. This book is, 
without question, the most complete on the subject, containing in ad- 
dition to all the games of skill and chance, thirty-five new games never 
before published in any book. Every game in our Hoyle can be played 
from the Rules and explanations there given, which is not the case with 
every Hoyle published. All the new games given are now popular in 
some portion of our country. In short, there is no book of its class that 
contains so much matter ; so much that is new, or presents k so accepta- 
bly to the reader. Containing 500 pp. , large i2mo, extra cloth. ^I«ff0 

BXOELSIOR PUBIilSHINO HOUSE, 
89 find 81 Beelunan 8tr«et| N«w Vorkf N* V* 




IF THEY ARE BITING BT ALL 

YOU WILL GET THEM 

IN THE 

LAKES, RIVERS, AND BROOKS 

ALONG THE 

ERIE LINES. 



TROUT, BASS, MASCALONGE, PICKEREL, 
AND SALMON TROUT ARE CAUGHT DAILY 
IN THESE PROLIFIC WATERS, SO EASY 
OF ACCESS BY THIS POPULAR ROUTE. 



ROBERTS, Gen. Pass. Ag:eni, 
NEV/ YORK. 



NEW AND POPULAR BOOKS SENT FREE OF POSTAGE AT PRICES ANNEXED. 

BEALE'S CALISTHENICS AND LIGHT 

Oyninastlc§ for Youngs Folk§.— 120 Illustrations 
from Life by Photographic Process, containing Broom and 
Fan Drills, Marches, Fencing, Club, Wand, and Dumb Bell 
Exercises, Swimming, and Music for marching. This is the 
most complete work published on the subject. 160 pages. 
Boards, 75 cents ; Cloth, price $1.00 

MANUAL OF SWEDISH DRILL, based on 
Ling's System, as used in the London Board Schools. Com- 
piled and arranged by George S.Melio, Director of Exercises 
to the Young Men's Society and Young Men's Christian 
Association. This valuable little Handbook is reprinted here 
complete in all its essential parts. Its illustrations are easily 
understood, and embrace Marches, Drills, and Gymnastic Ex- 
ercises in sufficient variety for most occasions. Containing 110 
illustrations, diagrams, etc. Board cover. Price. .50 cts, 

HOW TO BO WL.— A new and complete Man- 
ual. " Ten-pins " is an old and favorite game, and has re- 
cently sprung into fresh popularity, both as an exercise and as 
an entertainment. Our manual has been prepared with the 
assistance of the ablest experts. Within its pages will be 
found the Rules of the Game, as recently adopted by the 
Convention of players ; Advice to Beginners ; Instruc- 
tions IN Scoring, Etc., Etc. Every point needing it is 
illustrated, and we are gratified to add that it has the appro- 
bation of all the experts who have had an opportunity of ex- 
amining it in its published form. 100 pages. Paper cover. 
Price .25 ct§. 

DUMB BELLS, INDIAN CLUB, AND 
other Athletic Exerci§e8.— Clothing, Time of Exer- 
cising, Weight of Bells, Position, Caution. Dumb Bell Ex- 
ercises : First Position, Heavy Dumb Bell Lifting. Indian 
Club Exercises : A Word to Beginners, Position in Club 
Swinging. The Trapeze. Suspended Rings. The Gymna- 
sium : Rules and Regulations, Apparatus required. Quoits. 
Archery. Muscular Training. Striking-Bag Exercise. Th6 
most complete manual published. Containing 128 pages. 
Illustrated. Ppice 25 ctfe. 

DE VERE'S ORIGINAL LAUGHABLE 
Reeltations in Prose and Poetry. We are pleased to in- 
form our patrons that we have induced ** Mr. Wm. De Verb," 
the great humorist and poet, to bring out his original Gems in 
book form. No doubt a great many persons have heard these 
pieces recited by different " stars " of the profession, and will 
be delighted to get them all together in this convenient form. 
Containing 62 original pieces which cannot be foimd in any 
other book. Illustrated, Paper cover. Price 25 cts. 

EXCELSIOR PUBLISHING HOITSE, 

29 antd 31 B^ekm^u Street, fi^TV York, N. Y» 



PATENT 

"PRESERVALINE." 

(XRADE-NIARK.) 

THE FOOD PRESERVATIVE. 

SPORTSMEN'S PRESERVALINE, FOR THE 
PRESERVATION OF DELICATE FISH AND 
GAME. 

A BOON TO THE SPORTSMAN. 

POSITIVELY AND PERFECTLY PRESERVES 
GAME, BIRDS, AND FISH. 

SIMPLE, TASTELESS, HARMLESS, AND ABSO- 
LUTELY RELIABLE IN ANY CLIMATE 
OR WEATHER. 

The desire to preserve and send home the "catch," or the 
chief specimens of the same, is made entirely practicable by the 
aid of " Preservaline." Noted anglers and hunters have tested 
it thoroughly, and give it their unqualified endorsement. One 
pound will preserve loo pounds of fish or game. IVo ice i§ 
needed. Application is as simple as that of common salt. 
No sportsman's outfit is complete without it. 

For a test a one-pound box, with directions, will be mailed to 
any address in the United States on receipt of 50 cents. 
Packed in i, 5, and 10 pound boxes, and in bulk in 25, 50, and 
100 pound kegs. _ 

Caution ! — We are the only manufacturers of " Preservaline " 
in the world. All boxes and packages of genuine ** Preservaline " 
bear our trade-mark "Preservaline." We caution all against 
imitations and parties claiming to sell our formulas. All such are 
impostors. 

THE PRESERVALINE MANUFACTURING CO., 

Sole Proprietors and Manufacturers <?/"" Preservaline^''^ 

10 CEDAR STREET, NEW YORK, 



KODAKS 

can now be purchased from the principal dealers 
in photographic supplies throughout the United 
States, and at the Company's depots, 7/5 Oxford 
St,, London^ and 4 Place Vendome^ Paris, where 
instructions will be given free of charge. The 
completion of new film works at Rochester and 
Harrow ensures prompt supplies of films for re- 
loading. 

Great improvements have been made in all 
kodaks for 1892, and a new series of cheaper 
kodaks having many novel features has been put 
on the market. 

No traveller can afford to be without one of 
these photographic note-books. Prices 

^600 .o 16500 

loaded for instant use — 24 to 100 pictures with- 
out reloading. Exposures counted and registered. 
The new 

"Daylight" Kodaks 

can be reloaded in daylight. Send for Circulars, 

115 o.ford st„ THE EASTMAN COMPANY, 

London. ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

4 Place Vendome, 



Paris, 



arHE> I^o^^lVE>^^ 



PATENT COMBINED AUTOMATIC 



4 Fishing-Rod Bufil^ and ^eel h 




This is the very best device that has ever been intro- 
duced for the purpose of recovering slack line with great 
rapidity and gentleness of action. It embraces the fol- 
lowing very desirable qualities : 

Lightness^ Durability, Strength, Quickness and 
Perfection of Action, Simplicity of Mech- 
anism, Neatness and Beauty of Design. 

Anglers who are keeping abreast with the times cannot 
afford to be without it. Send for circulars to 

The White-Ross Mfg. Co., 

CARLISLE, PA., U. S. A. 

Sold by deaUri everywhere. 



^ 



Fine Fishing Tackle. 




SOME OF OUR SPECIALTIES. 




Fine German-Silver and Alumt- 
nnm Reels. 

American and Koreign Flies. 

The Oray F l y-Ooote. 

Boats. Camp Fixtures. Tents. 



241 Broadway, New York. 

108 Madison St., ----- Chicago. 
1032 Chestnut St.^ • - - Philadelphia. 



LWPJL78 



\rfi 



